


Fallen Snow, Silver Wings

by DorkyBlueFish



Series: Should I Fall [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-06-29 17:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 52,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15733986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DorkyBlueFish/pseuds/DorkyBlueFish
Summary: Weiss Schnee had a legacy to uphold. Being the heiress to a major corporation meant she had to be perfect. No time for fun, no time for friends, and certainly no time for the new girl at school, Ruby Rose. What she didn't know was that the red head had plans to flip her life around...(The prequel to Should I Fall)





	1. World, Cold. Eyes, Warm

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Blue here with a brand new story! Well sort of. It's the prequel to Should I Fall, the story of how Ruby and Weiss fell in love. My first White Rose centric story! Woo hoo! 
> 
> Now I know what you're thinking, "But Blue? You haven't even finished Should I Fall!". And yeah, I know. I've had case of Discouraged Writers Syndrome (or DWS) lately and it's been hard to conclude the story. But it should be ready soon! 
> 
> In the meantime, I have this little gem that I have been working very hard on. It may even be longer than the original haha.
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the essay. Big shout out to Robyn who has been reading the unedited versions of these and giving me feed back. I love you so much!! I really hope you like this fic as much as I liked writing it. Enjoy the Roses!

The world was cold and cruel. Her father had made sure she was aware of this fact. The world would not allow for mistakes, it wouldn't allow anything but perfection.

For her at least.

Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the most powerful energy company in the world, was told from the time that she was young that she had something to uphold. Something that she never asked for, but something that was expected of her. The name that was tacked onto Weiss was more important than her first name. It was everything.

And she was nothing.

One day, she found herself sitting in the cafeteria of her high school, all by herself. All the other students just watched her from afar, too scared to try and approach the girl. She was a Schnee after all, they knew what people who also shared her name did, what they _could_ do.

The only one who would eat lunch with her (if she even let her in the first place) was Blake. The kind girl with ebony hair, the one who typically read whenever she had the free time, the girl who only seemed to see Weiss. Not Weiss Schnee.

Unfortunately, the girl seemed to be sick today. And even if she wasn't, Weiss had pushed her away. She pushed everyone away recently, convinced that no one really cared.

She was beginning to think she was right. That thought gnawed at her.

She wished Blake was here though. To talk about a book or ask her how her day was. Anything to stop the thoughts that ran rampant through her mind. She sighed and took a sip out of her carton of milk. She may have been going to the best school in Atlas, and they may have served near gourmet food, but the milk cartons were just like any other school cafeteria. She smiled a bit at the thought. How upset her father would be if he knew she was drinking the same thing as the 'common folk'.

It pushed her to drink more. In fact, she wished she could go back and get a second carton. She could, if she really wanted to. She wouldn't even need to pay for it either. They would simply see who was asking and give it to her. Once they saw she was a Schnee, she could probably take a whole container and they wouldn't bat an eye.

The milk carton crushed in her grip.

She didn't really want milk anymore. What was in her stomach now churned in rebellion against her body.

Weiss retrieved her phone from her bag to check for the time. There was still twenty minutes of lunchtime left. The heiress spared a glance back at her tray. The contents of the meal, while delicious and well prepared, were hardly touched. There was a small bite taken out of the chicken, the peas looked mildly disturbed and the cookie was still wrapped in it's packaging.

So with nothing else to do, Weiss took out a notebook and began to look over her notes for the day. She took extensive notes, she _needed_ to get the best grades out of anyone. So she would write her notes and then make notes after the notes when she re-read them. And she would copy over the notes and the notes of the notes to make sure it was in her head. She was part of the way through her notes of her notes when she noticed how she signed and dated the next page. It was standard for her, it signified that these notes were taken on another day.

But Weiss just fixated on her name that was neatly written in pencil across the top. Typically, she used pens when taking notes. Actually, she remembers taking these notes. It was hard to concentrate, she was beating herself up for forgetting her pens at home. The only reason she kept pencils on hand was for the mandatory art class she was required to take. She never made mistakes when taking down notes, and if she did, the notes of her notes would clear that up for her.

But there it was. 'Weiss Schnee' in graphite. Her fingers traced the letters, smudging her porcelain digits. Without thinking, she pulled a pencil out of her bag and twisted it around. Her hand moved on it's own, the eraser pressing down to the page. She rubbed it against the smooth white parchment. When she removed it, it only read 'Weiss'. She almost smiled again, pleased with her work. But she noticed that 'Schnee' might seem gone, but the imprint was still there. The after image. She couldn't simply erase it, though she wished she could.

Sometimes, in her very dark moments, she wished she could erase 'Weiss' too.

**Riiiiiing.**

The bell finally rung, Weiss picked up her belongings and hastily made her way out of the cafeteria, out of view of cruel and cold eyes. In her class, no one would pay her any mind. Until she answered the questions, like she always did. She knew they made fun of her for it behind her back, she wasn't stupid. But she was a Schnee, she needed to answer as many questions as she could and prove her brilliance.

She was just about to open the door to her classroom when the school intercom blared over the hustle and bustle of the hallways.

**“Weiss Schnee, please come to the Headmaster's office. Weiss Schnee, to the Headmaster's office, please.”**

If it were possible for her complexion to get paler then it was, than she would be as pale as the paper she took her notes on. She couldn't be sent to the Headmaster's office. Schnees don't get in trouble. She ignored the 'Ooooohs' from her fellow classmates and did as she was told.

She ran through her mind what she had done for the past couple weeks. Could she have been answering too many questions in class? No, they encouraged that behavior. Had her father pulled his funding from her? He forced her to go here in the first place, doing that would only make her happy. And the man seemed to detest doing that.

Her breathing quickened the closer she got to the office. Panic set in, sparking jolts of fear throughout her body. What if her father found out she was called to the Headmaster's office? She would never hear the end of it. She just imagined the ringing in her ears from his yelling, the spit that would spray.

The sting on her cheek if she dared talk back.

She knew he would do it, the scar on her left eye was evidence enough. If someone asked how she got it, she would recite the rehearsed story of how she fell into glass when she was younger.

A fabrication created by the _real_ cause of the scar.

Her back leaned against the wall as she gasped for air. She gave herself a minute, just one, to compose herself. To regain the icy exterior everyone knew. After that minute, she grabbed a sip of water from the fountain and proceeded to the office.

She expected to be alone in the room, but when she entered she saw another girl who looked to be a bit younger than her. She was slightly shorter but wore the same school uniform. She had deep red hair that seemed to grow brighter at the tips. Upon hearing Weiss come in, the girl turned to look at her. Silver pooled in puddles where her pupils were supposed to be, so shiny and vibrant. Full of excitement and fun, there was no apt explanation on how they looked other than that. As soon as the girl saw the heiress, her face lit up. It was as if she was seeing an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time, so warm and inviting. And her smile, it brightened up her face, making everything about her feel like.... Home.

“Miss Schnee.” Headmaster Ironwood addressed, pulling Weiss' attention back to him. Right, the reason she was here. “This is Miss Rose. She is a new student here.”

Her attention returned to the new guest, the ivory-haired girl swiveled back to face her. She extended her hand as she was taught to do since she was young.

“Weiss Schnee, nice to meet you.” The robotic voice left her mouth. Miss Rose giggled, but grasped her hand back. It was soft for the most part, except for the pads of her fingers. They felt calloused and hard.

“I'm Ruby! It's really nice to meet you too!” She said, her smile growing larger.

“Miss Rose has actually skipped two grades, so she is in your class now.” The Headmaster informed her. Part of Weiss was impressed. The other part was jealous. She must have been much smarter than Weiss. The heiress never skipped any grade. Why wasn't she good enough to skip grades entirely? “So naturally, she needs help navigating the school and fitting in. I figured who better to help her than our star pupil.”

She wouldn't be much of a star pupil with Ruby around, now would she. The girl who skipped two grades.

Weiss wasn't bitter, she swore.

“Yes, of course.” She answered, knowing that was the only option. She, Weiss Schnee, couldn't turn that request down. People would talk. “Would you like a tour of the campus?”

“Lead the way!” The bubbly girl told her, gesturing out of the room.

**XxXxX**

“And on your left we have the cafeteria where you can obtain a very nutritious lunch.” Weiss recited. It wasn't her first time giving tours to people. Headmaster Ironwood often asked for her help (maybe because she never said 'no' to authority) but he typically told her ahead of time. No matter, she was still giving the perfect tour. Now it was time for... “Questions?”

“Yeah! How many times have you given this tour?” The new student asked. The heiress was slightly taken back by this.

“Um,” Weiss started and cursed herself for saying 'um' like a plebeian. Way to go Weiss! Very scholarly. “The Headmaster has asked me to give it a few times, I'm not quite sure how many.”

“Well you got it down pat, that's for sure!” She complimented.

“D-do you have anymore questions?”

“Hmmm.” Ruby vocalized, tapping her chin. She looked into the distance and her tongue stuck out a bit. It didn't look like something a girl who skipped two grades would do... “Not that I can think of! Thank you so much for the help. Thoooough... I have a feeling I'll still get lost, I have a _terrible_ sense of direction.”

“Not everyone is adept with finding their way, that is understandable.”

“Oh! I know! Let's compare schedules!” Ruby suggested, her excitement growing.

“I beg your pardon?” Weiss asked. What did schedules have to do with a sense of direction.

“If we have the same classes, we can walk in the halls together! Then I won't get lost.” Ruby explained, scratching the back of her head when admitting her directional challenges again.

Weiss saw no harm in doing so, so she pulled out her planner and plucked the neatly folded piece of paper in the front sleeve of the organizer. Ruby, on the other hand, pulled out a crumbled slip of paper from her bag. She only caught a glimpse of the inside of Ruby's bag, but it looked like a disaster zone. Just looking at it sent shivers down Weiss' spine.

They opened their schedules and looked to see which classes matched up.

“Oh wow! We're taking most classes together! That's awesome.” Ruby exclaimed, but a frown soon grew on her face. “Except for Shop Class and Study Hall. You've got something called.... Iron... Iron-”

“I assist Headmaster Ironwood at that time. I typically _do_ have the same study hall as you.”

“Then why don't you use it?”

“Well I promised Headmas-”

“You know you're just a student, right?”

“Huh?”

“You don't _have_ to do all these things that he expects of you.”

“I'm used to people expecting things from me.”

“Why's that?”

“Because I'm Weiss Schnee.”

“So?”

' _So?' Is that seriously what she said? 'So?'_ Weiss thought.

“I'm Weiss _Schnee_.”

“Aaand that means what, exactly?”

To say she was surprised was an understatement. Astounded, flabbergasted, absolutely gobsmacked. Everyone in Atlas knew the Schnees. Everyone in the _world_ knew the Schnees. But this girl, could she really be that ignorant?

“Where are you from?”

“Well, originally Vale. It's right be-”

“I know where Vale is!” The woman snapped. “Have you been living under a rock?”

Ruby's eyes widened, she shrank away a bit. Her silver eyes dipped down to the ground. Weiss felt instant guilt at dampening the girl's upbeat attitude. She didn't want to disappoint this girl. She couldn't say why. It wasn't the same as her father, that was caused by fear. She didn't know why, but seeing those silver eyes in misery pained her heart.

_No, You don't know this girl._ She chided herself. _She means nothing to you, the only reason she deserves your attention was because the Headmaster told you so._

“Maybe I'm a _little_ out of touch with stuff. My uuuh... Family kind of travels around a lot.” Ruby said, the smile returned to her face. “So... Schnee?”

Weiss had  been addressed this way before. Not directly, but she heard people whisper 'Schnee' behind her back. Like she was different from them. Well she wasn't. Like she wasn't a person. Sometimes she believed this too.

But Ruby wasn't trying to be malicious. She was genuinely curious about her.

“The Schnee Electrical Company. Biggest electrical company in the world. Ring a bell?”

“Oooooh, I think so?” Ruby said. “That's cool.”

“Cool?”

“So how about it, wanna walk to classes together?”

“I suppose I can oblige until you get your bearings.”

“Yay!” Ruby said, bouncing up and down in excitement. “First day and I already made a friend!”

Friendship? People didn't genuinely want that from Weiss, Blake being the exception to the rule. Well, she obviously couldn't be friends with her. She just had to be nice to her, kind enough so that she could tell the Headmaster that she had done her job well. Weiss said nothing in response, but turned around to head back to class, with Ruby in tow. If she was going to teach Ruby the ins and outs of this school, she might as well start now.

**XxXxX**

“Wow, this school is really nice!” The red-head exclaimed as they left their last class for the day. “And big! How did you ever get used to it?”

_By forcing myself to memorize that damn map so I didn't look foolish on my first day._ Weiss thought.

“I have a good sense of direction.”

“Wow, you're lucky!” Ruby almost shouted in admiration. The heiress looked around to watch her peers. The new student was drawing even more attention to her. The unwanted kind.

“I suppose so.” She said. “Well, I hope you found your first day to be pleasurable. I will see you tomorrow, Ruby Rose.”

“Just Ruby is fine!” She told her with a giggle. A very normal, not in any way cute, giggle. “But, you're going home right away?”

“Yes. Normally, my father would have a car sent to pick me up, but due to some... circumstances, I must walk home. I would much rather get home at a reasonable hour. Preferably before it gets dark.”

The 'circumstances' were that she got a B on a test recently. Apparently B's weren't good enough to warrant a seat in a car.

“Well I walk home too! Why don't we walk back, that way we can get to know each other better. For example! Did you know that I am double jointed in my hand! But only my right hand, which is weird, cause I'm left handed. But I heard that-”

“Ruby!” Weiss interrupted, losing her patience with the girl. She promised to help the girl in school, that was all. No need for her to get attached. “While I appreciate your offer, I'm afraid I will need to decline. I walk faster on my own and I really must get home.”

“Oh, alright Weiss.” Ruby said, a bit softer than before. “Guess I'll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yes, Goodbye.” Weiss said, turning on her heel and venturing in the direction of her locker. But something told her to look back. Something deep within her told her to look back at the new student she had just spent the day with.

When she looked back, Ruby was still watching her. As their eyes locked from across the crowded hallway, Ruby smiled. That same warm smile that turned all the heiress' insides to utter goop in the office. She even allowed herself to smile back. Just a little though. After all, Schnees don't smile often and when they do, people get scared.

Turning away again, she turned her icy exterior back on. It didn't take very long to reach her locker, she retrieved all the items she would need for the night and closed the locker.

As she walked home that evening, normally her mind was flooded with thought of the curriculum she had just been exposed to. She would think about her notes and brainstorm the notes of the notes she would take as soon as she got home. Thinking of ways to improve her grades and maybe even impress her father (like he would ever be satisfied).

Yet, on this walk, she couldn't get that new student out of her mind. She was so vibrant and bubbly, it almost pissed her off. No, it _did_ piss her off. Who is that happy? Certainly not Weiss, that was for sure. But at the same time, the few times she saw her sad, even if it was only a little, it was wrenching.

How did a girl like that exist? She was just so... warm! Weiss was known to be effusive at times (an probably used more words than necessary), but she couldn't really find a better word. Synonyms of warm, sure, but the core remained the same.

Never had she seen such a warm shade of silver.

**XxXxX**

Her silver tipped wings folded in as she landed back in the realm of angels. Ruby released a sigh, exhausted from the day. Well... She couldn't actually get physically exhausted, but she still felt drained. They were right, this would be a hard case.

Would have been nice to be informed about the Schnee Electrical Company before hand. Figures. The other angels focused so much on the emotional aspects of someone's life. They overlooked what might cause it. It was clear that Weiss put herself under a lot of stress.

And that icy exterior, oh man that would be hard to take down. She's guarded, but this wasn't Ruby's first charge. She had dealt with cases like this one before, it would just be time consuming. Unfortunately that meant actually studying, getting good grades and trying to blend in.

_Ugh, how does Yang make it look so easy?_ Ruby thought.

“Heya sis!” A voice greeted, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

Speak of the angel.

“Hey Yang!” Ruby greeted back, smiling at her sister. “I thought you were on guardian duty.”

“Yeah, but I got switched out with Lance. Got in some nice saves though! Too bad no one could see it.”

“That's the point, Yang. Invisible angels, we don't want everyone knowing we're real, right?”

“Yeah yeah, I miss doing field work though.”

“You _just_ got done with a case!”

“But it was a short one! I want like... one that last a couple months at least.”

“Yeah speak for yourself.” The redhead mumbled, walking ahead of her sister. Yang, however, used her wings to propel herself in front of her sister. The lilac tipped wings folded as she landed.

“So I take it the new case isn't treating you so well?”

Ruby stopped walking and ran a hand through her red tipped hair.

“It's going _ok_. She's just... stubborn.” Ruby told Yang. “It's gonna take a lot to turn this one around.”

“These ones typically do, but you know that she's got a lot of potential. It'll be worth it!”

“ _If_ I can help her.” Ruby grumbled.

“You will, Rubes. There's a reason they sent you in!” Yang told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You're kind, sweet and special. If anyone can melt that icy exterior, it's you.”

Ruby laughed. Yang always knew what to say to cheer her up. She hated to admit it, but she was sort of glad they died at the same time. Not that she wished death upon her sister, but it was nice to know she wasn't alone. And they made one heck of a team! Typically, they were split up when working missions, but there were some cases that required two or more angels on it. And when the sisters were on it together? It was magic.

“I'm jealous though, I wanted field work.” Yang pouted.

“Wanna take over for me? We can always wipe her memory! It wouldn't take long!”

“No way, little sis. This one is yours. Besides, I would probably just scare or offend her.”

“Uuughh I haaaate field work. I hate how much goes into it. I just wanna invisibly save people, not get scolded by teachers.”

This time, Yang laughed at Ruby's antics. Yup, she was really lucky that she had Yang around. The two had been looking out for each other for about ninety years now. An entire lifetime's worth of sibling bonding. Sure they had little spats here and there, but they never let it ruin their sisterly bond.  
And Ruby was sure nothing would ever come between them.


	2. The Grade Skipper, Ruby Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fulfilling obligations was as natural as breathing to Weiss. Taking care of one more shouldn't be too hard. But Ruby might prove to give her a run for her money.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's Blue. Last chapter was short so I wanted to give you guys another chapter. Also I wanted to stress that this is a prequel, guys. That being said, it doesn't mean it's going to be predictable. Yes, you know the end result, but it's the journey that matters. I hope you like this one, let me know what you think. Enjoy the Roses!

The next morning started as any typical day in her household. Her father and her sister had already left for the day, her brother got ready and ate his food in his room. Her mother? She was probably also in her room, but with a bottle of wine rather than a plate of food.

Weiss was the only one who ate her food at the long dining table. The long, distant table that they hardly used anyways. Soft clanking filled the room and echoed in the large, spacious room.

"Good morning, Weiss." A kind voice greeted from behind her. She didn't need to look to know who it was. A smile spread across her face. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, Klein, thank you." Weiss told her butler. Klein Seiben, the butler of the Schnee family since as long as she could remember. The man was the warmest part of this house. He tried his best to thaw the household out, but Weiss seemed to be the only one affected by it. He also never called her 'Miss Schnee'. It was always just 'Weiss', and she loved him for that.

"I'm glad, you seemed rather distracted last night. And you came back much later than usual."

"Yes, I've had some things on my mind. School subjects, homework, my duties to the headmaster. But the walk home helped me clear them up marginally."

Klein frowned and Weiss swore his had shifted to a crimson hue.

"Is  _he_  still making you walk home?" The loyal butler questioned.

"Only for a few more days, it's alright Klein. At least I still get a car ride  _to_  school."

"Hmm, It's still not right if you ask me."

"My father isn't exactly the kind of man who asks for people's opinions, Klein."

"A valid point." He told her, retrieving her empty plate. "And what does the Headmaster have you doing now?"

"There's a new student, he wants me to help her adjust to the academy."

"Oh! A new friend?"

"Not a friend, Klein. I'm simply assisting Headmaster Ironwood."

Klein looked deep into Weiss' ice blue eyes, the way he did whenever he had something important to tell her. His lip jutted out a bit in a slight pout.

"Please, my little snowflake,  _try_  and make friends?" He asked. "And stop pushing the ones you had away."

"The  _one_  I had."

"I'm sure she still cares about you, even if you've been ignoring her."

"Well she should stop that and make other friends. Like that Neon girl. I'm sure they would get along swimmingly."

"Weiss! Stop that!" Klein scolded, his voice raising in volume. "You deserve friendship and you deserve love."

"I know." She lied. "I really should be going to school, I think the car is here."

"Weiss."

"Thank you for breakfast, Klein. It was delicious, as always."

**XxXxX**

The metal door of her locker closed thirty minutes before the bell that marked the start of her first class. She was always on time to her classes, if not early. As always, she adjusted the notebooks, binders, and text books in her messenger bag. But unlike everyday, she saw a figure at the end of the hallway waving at her in a very exaggerated manner.

Ruby Rose, the new student that she was task with looking after, was now mildly jogging in the hall towards her. She only stopped when she accidentally bumped into another student's shoulder (which was often).

"Oops, sorry! Excuse me! Coming through." Weiss heard the younger girl say as soon as she was within earshot. "Weiss! Hey!"

"Hello, Ruby."

The energetic girl beamed at Weiss, gripping the straps on her backpack and bouncing. How was this girl always so full of energy? Just watching her made Weiss tired.

"You ready for a great day of school?" Ruby asked. "Or... At least an ok day of school with some great friends."

"School isn't about friendship, it's about education. Learning." Weiss said, moving past the new student to head to class. She knew the girl was following her there, her boots weren't exactly silent.

"Sure it is! We gotta learn  _together_ , right?"

"I learn better on my own." The icy heiress retorted. "Friends slow you down with idle chit chat and drama."

"You gotta have  _some_  friends, right?"

Weiss stopped where she was and turned around to look the girl in her eyes. In her captivating silver eyes that sparkled with hope and-

Her eyes. She made simple eye-contact.

"Your first class of the day is Shop, correct?" Weiss snapped.

"Uh, yeah?"

"You're going the wrong way then."

In response, Ruby planted two hands on her head as her silver eyes grew wide with realization and fear.

"Oh cheese it! I totally forgot!" Ruby exclaimed, walking backwards. "Uuuuh, we'll talk later, ok?"

"Goodbye, Ruby." The ivory-haired girl said, watching her frantically run off in the opposite direction, pulling a crumpled map out of her pocket. She smiled as she left, happy for the moment of peace and quiet. A moment without her incessant questions and rambling.

But now... It was rather quiet, even with the hustle and bustle of students getting ready to attend their classes.

So what? Weiss was used to the silence. And even when she had Blake around, the girl mostly had her nose in a book. She didn't have to have an annoying puppy following her around, yapping in her ear.

Weiss always did want a dog though...

No. Ruby Rose was not some sort of retriever, she was definitely not adorable. She just had to put up with her until she got used to the school and made her own friends.

**XxXxX**

"Hey, Weiss!" Ruby chirped. Weiss looked up from the notes she had been looking over when she walked into the second class of the day, the first class they shared together. Pre-calculus. A joke of a class, but a required one. The name of the class itself was enough of a lie. No calculus was taught, just things that would help them lead up to solving real proofs. The kind of proofs that Weiss had already been teaching herself.

She wasn't worried about this class at all, and Ruby didn't seem too worried either. Miss I-Skipped-Two-Grades had probably already learned this long ago.

And they called  _her_  the overachiever.

"Hello again, Ruby."

"How was art class?" She ask, taking the seat next to her. Of course she did.

"It was fine." Weiss answered coolly. "Did you find your Shop Class?"

"Yup! I actually had to go outside for it though, who knew? It was in this sort of shed like building. Isn't that cool? This school has... Like... Everything!"

"That's nice."

"Sooo." Ruby drew out, giving Weiss her full attention. Weiss had just resumed reading her notes halfway through her ramblings. "Is this class hard?"

Cold blue eyes shot over to the red-head. This girl was the one who skipped two grades, not Weiss. Perhaps she was just trying to make conversation. Might as well humor her.

"It's incredibly simple." Weiss told her. "I'm sure  _you_  would be able to handle it, even if we  _were_  taking regular calculus. That's for next year."

"Oh! Ok cool! Cause math is noooot my strong suit."

"And what is your strong suit?" Weiss asked, actually curious.

"I like to build things! That's why Shop Class is so cool!"

"Uh, huh..." She said, her eyes narrowing. Was this girl for real? Was she just playing herself down? She had to be. Humble or two-faced, Weiss didn't know yet, but she would get to the bottom of it. Hopefully today.

"What's  _your_  strong suit? What classes do you enjoy?" Ruby inquired, her silver eyes practically sparkling. In a completely normal, not adorable, kind of way. In a way that  _definitely_  did  _not_  make Weiss feel special at all.

The blood was rushing to her cheeks because she wasn't prepared for that question.

Yes, that was it.

"I suppose I enjoy mathematics." Weiss answered honestly. "It makes sense. There is only one path, the right one. One answer."

"Hmm." The red-head vocalized.

"What?"

"Oh nothing! I just think it's interesting." Ruby quickly explained.

"You do?"

"I mean, yeah! You're totally right, and that's something to take comfort in." She said. "But, that doesn't reflect life, does it?"

"I... I beg your pardon?"

"Well, there are choices in our lives. If you think about it like math, sure we were given an equation, but there are many ways to solve it. And, maybe the answers change based on which way we solve it."

"That's... not how math works." Weiss informed her.

"Hmmm." Ruby said, taking a moment to think. "Maybe not, but life does. We chose the answer to our own equation. It just depends on how many steps you take to get there that determines if we get the answer we  _want_."

Weiss' jaw dropped at that. But Ruby, she just smiled and pulled a notebook out of her backpack. Like nothing had happened.

This girl.

Just who  _was_  this girl?

She didn't know Weiss, she didn't know anything about her other than the surface level pieces of information she had given her. But somehow, this girl... Saw  _through_  her. She just said she liked math. MATH. It wasn't as if she asked for her thoughts on the world.

That was right, she  _didn't_ ask for her opinion on the subject! She never asked for her to hyper analyze it! How dare she talk to her, Weiss  _Schnee_ , like that.

No one would ever say anything like that to a Schnee.

Maybe... That wasn't a bad thing.

"Weiss?"

"Huh?" Weiss responded with the utmost grace and poise.

"I think class is starting soon."

"Oh!" Weiss said, scrambling to pick up her pen and bringing her attention to the front of the room.

She couldn't quite pay attention fully that class. Her gaze kept flicking over to the girl who had skipped two grades. The odd new girl that was strangely insightful.

**XxXxX**

"Uuuum... 25?" Ruby timidly answered. The professor sighed and shook her head. This was not the first time she had done this today.

"No, Miss Rose, no." Professor Peach told her. "Perhaps Miss Schnee can give us the correct answer?"

"The answer is 48.37, ma'am." The heiress dutifully answered.

"Right, Miss Schnee." She regarded warmly. Yet, when she glanced over at Ruby, that warmth disappeared in an instant. "Miss Rose, I realize you are new, but I expected more from you."

"S-sorry, Professor." Ruby said. Before the professor could say more, the bell rang and every single student in that classroom packed up their notebooks and writing utensils.

"You're homework is on page 143 of the text book, please have it done by next class!" She shouted over the rustling of students leaving.

Including Weiss, who picked up her items as fast as possible and left the room.

Well, it seemed Ruby wasn't lying about math not being her 'strong suit'. She proved this by answering every single question incorrectly. It was astounding, really. Ruby Rose, the girl who was so smart she skipped two grades, couldn't solved these math equations.

"Guess I should brush up on my math." Ruby said, catching up to Weiss.

"Yes, it appears so." Weiss commented, picking up the pace. She didn't know why, they were going to the same place and she wouldn't be late. But perhaps she could give Ruby the hint that she didn't  _do_  friendship.

"But you were great! You answered  _so_  many questions!"

"Students should strive to answer as much as they can. Unless, of course, they  _don't_  know the answer."

"Ehehe, yeah." Ruby said, scratching the back of her head. "Sooooo... Onto the next class?"

"That  _was_  the plan, yes."

"Awesome!"

As they went from class to class, Weiss began to wonder how this girl skipped two grades. She was utterly... Average. Sure, she answered some questions correctly. But more often than not, she was nervous and wrong. It was... kind of sad.

How did she get in this school though? How did she skip those grades? Before she simply wanted the girl to leave her alone, but now she wanted to know what was going on with her.

She wasn't stupid, a stupid person wouldn't be as insightful as her. But she wasn't as book smart as Weiss was led to believe.

Now it was time for lunch, time to figure this girl out.

"Ooooh, this food! It's so fancy!" She commented, sitting down next to Weiss. Try as she might, Weiss couldn't ignore the stares they were garnering. Weiss Schnee didn't sit with people at lunch anymore. The only person she ate with was Blake, but she was sick and... Weiss was trying to close that door.

No use in dragging others down.

"Yes, they do provide nice food for us." Weiss said, picking at her sandwich. She expected Ruby to stuff her face with food (it seemed within her character), but she was actually doing something similar to Weiss. Just picking at it, not eating too much.

"Sooooo Weiss." Ruby started. "You were like... Mad smart back there!"

"Yes, one would think that  _I_  was the one who skipped two grades."

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed, laughing. The ivory-haired girl's heart skipped a beat at the sound. It was so sweet and melodic, like a song.

And for a second, Weiss wished she could listen to that song for hours.

But only for a second.

"How did you skip two grades? You don't seem to be at the same level as the others." Weiss said, going straight for the kill.

"Oh yeeeeeah." Said Ruby. "I come from Vale, and we learn things a bit different there. The classes aren't as tough."

Weiss supposed that made sense. Atlas schools, especially the private ones, were known to be quite rigorous. The heiress shuddered at the thought of attending a Vale school. Who knows where she would be if she hadn't received the education she had.

Maybe she would have a different family. One that ate dinners together, played games, laughed. Laughter was something that the Schnee household sorely lacked...

Just hopes, useless hopes.

"Then you'll have to work harder if you want to stay here." Weiss said, taking a sip of her milk.

"Yeah." Ruby sighed, looking in deep thought. Then her head popped up and she looked over to Weiss. "Oh! I know! Maybe you could tutor me!"

"Tutor you?" Weiss asked incredulously. The grade-skipper was asking  _her_  for help. Oh this was too much. She couldn't believe she was actually jealous of her, just this morning.

"Yeah! It'll be fun too!" Ruby exclaimed. Again, looking like an excited puppy. "What do ya say?"

"I'm not sure, I am pretty busy."

"But you have that study hall with me, right?"

"I told you, I assist Headmaster Ironwood during that."

"I'm sure he'll understand if you want to use your study hall to... Hmmm, I don't know... Study?" Ruby told her, giggling at the end.

"Perhaps..."

"Aw come on, Weissyyy."

"Do  _not_  call me that."

"Please, Weiss?" Ruby pleaded, puffing up her bottom lip and widening her silver eyes.

How did they sparkle like that?

"I guess I could shift some things around to help you catch up. Just until you get your bearings." Weiss found herself caving. This girl. What was with this girl? How did she get Weiss to just...  _Do_  these things.

"Yaaay!" Ruby exclaimed a bit too loudly (more people were staring, she was sure of it) and draped her arms around Weiss in a hug. The heiress stiffened at the contact. It didn't last very long though, Ruby rapidly pulled away. "Oh gosh, I am so  _sooo_  sorry. I should have asked first before hugging you. Ugh, dumb Ruby.

The redhead slapped her hand on her forehead a couple times. And Weiss found that she was... Smiling?

"I don't really hug. Please ask first."

"No problem, Weissy."

"No."

"Sorry, Weiss." Ruby giggled.

Weiss didn't keep up with modern day music as much, but she was pretty sure that her laugh was her new favorite song.

**XxXxX**

"Uuuuuugh, I forgot how hard school was!" Ruby complained, flopping to the cloud ground. Her sister laughed and sat cross-legged next to her.

"You  _could_  just borrow the knowledge, you know, make things a little bit easier on yourself?"

"No, if I did, it would look really suspicious." Ruby explained. She sat up and propped her head up with her hand, her elbow resting on her kneecap. "Besides, it's gotten me an in!"

"Oh? Do tell, sis."

"She is gonna tutor me. Which means more time together, which means more time to help her turn this around. Oh  _boy_  does she need help." The angel with the silver-tipped wings said. "She is soooo resistant to making friends or letting anyone in. I had to... Um... Uh, nevermind."

"Ruby?" Yang asked in a sisterly tone.

"I-It's nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

"Alright." She sighed. "I maaay have turned up my angelic charm?"

"Ruby!"

"What? I was desperate!"

"Come on, Rubes. You  _know_ how dangerous that can be."

She did. The angelic charm was what they used to put their charges at ease. To soothe them and make them put their trust in them. Typically, they used it in lower doses, an unnoticeable thing. Most people just assumed they were easy to talk to or something along those lines. However, the more one used, the higher the chance that their charge would start to... Feel things for them.

Which was not good.

"I know! But the lower one wasn't helping with her. I'll try and slowly lower it to a normal level." She defended. "She won't get infatuated, I swear."

Yang was lucky, she never had to use her angelic charm. She was genuinely easy to be around, to talk to.

"I trust you, Rubes." Yang said, messing up her sister's hair. "Just don't want to see you get stuck in a sticky situation. Those only turn out two ways, you know."

Yes. Either they had to wipe the angel from the charges mind, or the angel fell in love as well and got clipped.

Clipped angels. The abandoned ones who left their duties. Sometimes, it was simply because they got a taste of mortal life again and wanted more. The other angels told them they were tempted in by the sins. Wrath, greed, envy, sloth, pride, gluttony, and the most common one, Lust.

Ruby knew better though. Not many angels fell because of lustful desires. No, those weren't strong enough. They left because they fell in love. Love, something Ruby saw from a distance, but never truly felt (not romantically, at least). And she never would. It was a bit sad, but she had accepted this fact long ago.

The angel, Ruby Rose, would never fall in love. There was simply no way it could happen.

And she was ok with that.

She  _told_  herself she was ok with that.

"Yeah. Yeah I know."

**XxXxX**

Weiss got home a bit later than usual. She took a longer route home that day, wishing for more alone time to clear her head. Of course she had a copious amount of alone time at home, but there was something different about walking home. The fresh air, the breeze made her feel free. Like she could sprout wings and fly away. She could fly away to a place where no one knew her name.

But it was only a breeze, and she would always be Weiss Schnee.

And she would be to her house soon.

The ivory-haired heiress also took this time to ponder the new girl. Ruby Rose. She was an... interesting one, that was for sure. Bright and bubbly, not typically the people she spent time with, if she spent time with anyone at all. And now she was roped into teaching the girl. Just her luck.

She supposed it wouldn't be so bad if she heard her laugh again, or saw those silver eyes, or received another hug-

"What am I thinking?" Weiss snapped at herself. She couldn't have friends, she simply couldn't.

No one cared. She didn't need anyone. She was a Schnee, what didn't she have that her money couldn't buy?

_Everything that really mattered._  Weiss thought. With a sigh, she walked into her estate. She was somewhat grateful that Klein wasn't there to ask her how her day went, if she made a new friend. She didn't want to explain  _again_  why she didn't need them.

When Weiss entered her room, she sluggishly slipped her phone out of her pocket, a habitual action of hers. Surprisingly, it read that there were two notifications. She took a seat at her desk and checked to see what they were.

Two missed calls.

Both from Blake Belladonna.

Weiss stared at the screen for a moment, debating on whether she should hit the 'call back' button or not. Part of her really wanted to. Part of her wanted to call her back and talk to her about something,  _anything_. But she didn't. She locked her phone, set it on the table and brought out the homework that Professor peach assigned, so she could get it done a day later.

She felt bad. She felt bad about pushing her friend away. About yelling at her so harshly. Yet, she knew that it was for her own good. Being friends with a Schnee would cause her more problems than it was worth.

She would have to make sure that Ruby knew that as well.


	3. Best Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby just wants to help Weiss, her intentions are noble, but sometimes even the best intentions can go awry...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Blue here! Another week, another chapter. Thank you for all of your comments, I read them all and really appreciate them. You all rock. Well I hope you like this chapter! Let me know what you think of it. Enjoy the Roses!

 

"No, you dunce! You've made the same careless mistake  _three_  times!" Weiss scolded in their study hall. She kept her voice down so she wouldn't disturb anyone's studies. Though, taking a look around the room, it was clear that no one was using their study hall for actual studying. In the corner, a couple kids were playing a card game. It was that vile game, Cards Against Remnant. Honestly, she didn't expect to find such vulgar discussions as a prestigious school such at this one.

Another group was simply chatting. One boy had his feet up on the desk in a carefree manner. Did no one appreciate the time and effort that was put into cleaning this school? And chatting? When they could be catching up on their studies?

This is why Weiss was at the top of the class and why mister I-don't-care-if-I-track-mud-everywhere-including-the-table-where-people-eat was most likely at the bottom.

"Gah! You're right, I'm sorry!" Ruby exclaimed, taking the paper back and scrubbing her eraser over her incorrect solution. Weiss normally didn't condone the use of pencils in math, but she made an exception in this case. Because they would be wasting a lot of paper otherwise.

"'Sorry' won't get the right answer!" She continued. It was much easier to chide the girl today. She wasn't sure what was going on in her mind yesterday, but now that that was clear, she could set boundaries.

Ruby was the pupil, Weiss was the tutor. That is all they were, that is all they would ever be. And once Ruby was caught up with her studies, she wouldn't be anything to her. Just another person she knew. She had no doubt that someone with Ruby's personality would find new friends. She would be just fine.

Not that she particularly cared... of course.

"I'm tryyyyinggg." Ruby groaned, slowly flopping her arms and her head over her work.

"Oh please, don't be  _so_  dramatic." Weiss said. "You aren't  _that_  far off. You just keep falling or the same issue."

Turning her head to the side, Ruby smirked at Weiss. She lifted her self back up and cocked an eyebrow at her tutor.

"You seem different today."

"Do I?"

"Yeah, there's something different."

Once again, the girl had shown her perceptive skills to the heiress. Yet, this time, she wasn't too surprised. Weiss started out calm and indifferent (as she  _had_  been treating Ruby thus far), but she soon became frustrated with the girl. How did she not grasp these simple solutions? It was so easy!

So yes, she was agitated.

"I'm sure I  _don't_ know what you're talking about."

"Oh I know! You're sassier." Ruby told her, snapping her fingers.

"S-sassy?"

"Yeah! And you're more loose, you seem more... You."

"I am always me."

"No you're not."

"Excuse me? I am and have always been Weiss Schnee,  _Ruby Rose_." She spat back, venom dripping when she uttered her name.

"Then just be Weiss." Ruby suggested, again, right on the money. Weiss opened her mouth a couple times, but her brain had not worked out what to say.

"D-don't talk to me like we're so close. You've only known me for a couple days."

"Yeah! And in those couple days, you've always been kind of cold and stiff. Like... You're holding back?" Ruby said. She said it so simply, but again her words cut deeper. She saw through Weiss as if she was a block of ice. No, as if she were made of the clearest water.

How did she do that?

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume things." The redhead said, trying to backtrack. "I just like to help people like you."

"What kind of people?"

"The sad and lonely?"

Weiss stared at her, wishing she could refute her statement immediately. She, however, needed a moment to process her statement. Sad and lonely. Nail? Your head has been hit.

"I'm not sad  _o-or_  lonely, Ruby Rose. But you will be if you d-don't start that problem over! Because I'll leave, right back to Headmaster Ironwood.

Ruby chuckled. The heiress really thought she was immune to the girl's laugh this time.

Apparently not.

Her silver eyes make contact with Weiss' icy ones and she smiled. A very warm, gentle smile. But to Weiss, it was the calm before the storm. Because she knew, she  _knew_ , that the younger girl would say something. She would say something that would baffle the heiress. Something that would throw the ice queen off of her game.

"I like sassy Weiss."

**XxXxX**

"Bye!" Ruby said, walking away from her charge. Part of her wanted to ask if they could walk home together, but she didn't want to push the bounds. Maybe yesterday she had a shot, but today she significantly lowered her angelic charm, just as Yang had suggested.

" _Great job today, Ruby! Keep it up."_  A voice congratulated. She smiled and nodded her head. A lengthy conversation wasn't necessary. This case would be a long stretch, there was no need to discuss progress every single day.

She was thankful for that. Ruby had only been assigned to a charge who was fated to die once, and she had to let them know what happened with every encounter. It was an honest grind and she didn't know how Yang did it. It wasn't her specialty, but she had successfully helped people in those cases a couple times. How did she not let it get to her?

Anyways, this was not such a mission. Weiss was in a bad place, but was not due to leave this earth for a long time (they hoped, fate was a bit finicky). This  _would_  be her toughest case yet though. The girl was so resistant to change, so sad. Maybe she pushed it a bit too much by pointing that out, but she had a feeling the girl appreciated honesty over anything.

It made sense considering her friend. Blake Belladonna, Ruby read up on her before taking this case. She was witty and sarcastic, seemed to fit Weiss' personality (now that she saw a little bit more of the  _real_  Weiss today). She was confident and independent, but a bit of an introvert.

And a huge positive influence on Weiss' life.

Conclusion? She needed to get her back to help the ivory-haired loner.

That was step one of her plan. Weiss had no support system right now. Her father was cold and abusive, her mother would go on drinking binges, her brother just kept to himself and her sister had moved away. That only left her butler, but he was often busy with maintaining the household.

Ruby felt bad for the girl. The redhead had grown up with nothing, but at least she had Yang. Weiss had everything, but no one.

So Blake was important. Very important.

Which is why Ruby was heading over to her house.

One of her favorite parts about being an angel (besides flying suuuuuper fast) was being able to turn invisible. Yang may like 'working in the field' but Ruby would  _much_  rather be that invisible hand that saves folk.

This time, it would help her get more information on Blake and her relationship with Weiss. Maybe a way to repair the damage.

The silver-tipped angel phased into the second floor bedroom where Blake sat in her bed, still in her nightgown. She was pressing her phone up against her ear with a pensive look on her face. Ruby could hear something on the other end. She couldn't quite make out what was being said, but judging by Blake's huff and eye-roll, she got an answering machine.

"Hey Weiss! It's Blake... Again. I-I don't even know if you're getting these but... Um... Just wanted to let you know that I've been sick for a couple days... In case you were wondering why I wasn't in school. Sooo..." Blake rambled into her phone. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Weiss... I wish you wouldn't push me away. I  _am_  still your friend, you know. I care about you. If you want to talk just um... Let me know... I should be in school tomorrow... Uh, Bye."

After that awkward message. Blake flopped on to her back, her hands dangling beside her. So Weiss was pushing her away. Not much of a surprise, but it was still good information to gather. Ruby prepared to leave, but heard a knock on the door.

"Sweetie? It's me?" A feminine voice said, muffled behind the door. Creaking it open, Ruby saw someone who she supposed was Blake's mother. She had the same amber eyes and ebony hair, but hers was cut short (it only reached a little past her jawline). "How are you feeling, hun?"

The girl in question slowly lifted herself back to a seated position to better answer her.

"I'm alright. I think I can go back to school."

"You sound down, I thought you liked school." Her mom said, venturing further into the room.

"I do. It's just... Weiss."

"Ah, still acting weird, huh?"

"Yeah, she is." Blake said, scooting over to allow her mom to sit on the bed with her. The older woman took that opportunity and did just that. "I don't get it! I tried to help and she just... Pushed me away."

"Hmm. Sometimes that happens, sweetheart."

"But we've been friends for  _years_." Blake stressed. Her voice dropped to a hush. "Why wouldn't she trust me?"

Blake's mom took a moment to ponder this. Ruby assumed she was trying to figure out how to phrase what she was going to say.

"You've known Weiss for a while, wouldn't you say she was stubborn?"

"Yeah."

"And a perfectionist?"

"Oh god, yes!"

"And wouldn't you say that she tries to take too much on herself?"

"Yes."

"Then don't you think that's what she's doing now?"

"I... Guess so." Blake answered. "But what am I supposed to do?"

"Give her time, hun. Let her know you're there for her, but let her come to you."

She had a point, from the information Ruby had gathered, Weiss preferred to do things in her own time. But maybe that wasn't what she needed. This time she needed someone to reach out, to do what she wouldn't. Because with the state of the heiress now, that was the only way she would get the support she needed.

"Yeah, guess you're right."

"Let things happen naturally, sweetheart. It will all be ok." She told her daughter, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Ruby slipped out of the residence, now confident she had all the information she needed.

Oh things would happen 'naturally' alright. Ruby would make sure of it.

Besides the fact that she genuinely enjoyed shop class, there was another reason Ruby took it.

**XxXxX**

Blake pushed a block of wood through the table saw the shop class had available. She pressed the wood cautiously and slowly, minding her fingers. They told her that the saw blade would stop if her hand got too close to the edge, but she didn't trust that.

Better to be safe than fingerless.

When the slab had past through, she picked up the piece she needed and tossed the other bit into the discard bin so someone else could use it. Blake blew on the cut piece, making sure that all the excess shavings were off.

Yes, this was a good piece. It would be perfect for her project. The assignment they had been given was to create a garden decoration. Immediately, she thought of her and her mother's favorite animal, a cat. It was going to be a simple one, but the raven-haired girl had planned on making a small silhouette of a cat.

She had also considered making a second one. A rabbit for Weiss. She remembered how much she talked about wanting a rabbit when she was younger, how she couldn't because her father didn't want the house to smell. Maybe a rabbit figure would make her happy.

Though, not much  _really_  kept her happy these days. Blake wished she would let her help but... she just kept to herself these days.

And she pushed Blake away.

"Well done, Miss Rose!" The professor said, addressing the girl with red hair. "You certainly know how to handle a dremel!"

Right, there was a new student in her class. Ruby Rose. She seemed nice, cute, a bit young. The rumor was that she skipped four grades, but Blake highly doubted it. Two at most.

"Thank you, sir!" She chirped gleefully, clutching her piece of wood close to her body. It looked like a rounded cone. Walking over to the scrap pile, she picked up a couple more solid blocks of wood and some sand paper. However, as she was grabbing her pieces, she noticed Blake watching her.

"Hello!" The new girl said with a bright grin. "I-I don't think I've seen you before."

"Yeah. I've been sick for the past couple days." Blake informed her. "You're the new girl, right?"

"Thaaat's what they call me." She sang. "Well, that and Ruby. I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. Nice to meetcha!"

She extended her hand and Blake readily accepted it. Blake was normally more reserved, but something about Ruby set her at ease. She couldn't quite place why, but she didn't question it too much.

"Blake."

"Sooo Blake! What are you making?"

"Oh," Blake said, picking up her slab of wood and inspecting it. "It's gonna be a cat silhouette with a base, so it can stand."

"Oooooh, that sounds cool!" Ruby said, bouncing a bit from genuine excitement. "Are you gonna drill the eyes?"

"I hadn't thought about that, but that would look cool." Blake said, envisioning an oblong cat eye near the corner where she placed to make the head. It  _would_  look good. "Thank you."

"No problem!"

"What are you making?" Blake asked, pointing to the cone-like piece of wood in her hand. The younger girl raised it up and Blake swore she saw a twinkle in her silver eyes.

"I'm making a rose!"

"A rose?"

It certainly didn't  _look_  like a rose.

"Yeah! I'm gonna make pieces that fit inside each other like the petals, drill a hole in the middle and suspend them from a string. That way they can spin around in the wind, but it will still look like a rose."

"But, it's just a cone." She observed. "Where are the petals?"

"I still gotta whittle and sand it for the details, but it will get there!" The new girl explained. "Just wait. All beautiful pieces of art take time and patience."

"That makes sense. I can't wait to see the finished product."

"Me too." Ruby said, beaming at the girl. "Say, I don't really know too many people in this class. Can I work next to you?"

"Sure." Replied the raven-haired girl, smiling warmly.

**XxXxX**

Weiss didn't think it was possible, but Ruby always managed to eat less than her every lunch. She simply picked at the food, hardly enough to consist of a meal. When she  _did_  ask her the reason, Ruby always told her she ate big breakfasts and snacked throughout the day.

Not that Weiss cared too much, but it would look bad if the new girl passed out on her watch. People were already whispering about her, she couldn't imagine what would happen if such an event occurred. Headmaster Ironwood would be so cross, maybe even expel her. Her father would hear about it and he... Would not be kind.

Not that he ever was.

"Weiss? Are you alright?" Ruby's voice called, breaking her out of her spiraling thoughts.

"I'm fine." She responded, making sure to keep her voice even and calm.

"You sure? You were breathing kind of heavy."

Was she? She hadn't noticed. Oh no. How many times had she visibly shown her fear. Her panic. That was not good at all. She was not  _supposed_  to panic. She had to be strong like her predecessors. She was a Schnee, Schnees did  _not_  panic.

Even if Weiss wanted to, Weiss would always be attached to Schnee. An unbreakable bond. One that she so dearly wished she could just snap.

Just snap.

Snap.

**Snap.**

"Huh?" Weiss said.

"You were doing it again. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes."

"Weiss."

"I'm fine. Shouldn't you just finish eating your food?"

"I'm not too hungry." Ruby said with her melodic giggle. The heiress eased at that. The panic from before was forgotten for a split second, replaced with a serene melody that electrified every inch of her body.

"Perhaps that's why you don't do well in math. You can't really think much on an empty stomach."

"Heeey, I told you I-"

"Eat big breakfasts, Yes I am aware." Weiss said and found that she was actually smiling. Genuinely, warmly smiling.

It didn't last.

Soon, Ruby's gaze was caught by something behind Weiss. A smile sprung on her face and she waved wildly in the distance. The redhead must have made some friends in her other class, the one class they did not share.

Good, she could finally leave her alone. She could finally stop pestering her at lunch, making sure she felt alright, asking how her day was. How irritating. Weiss could just go back to how it was before. She could be alone with her thoughts and her notes. Just Weiss. Weiss Schnee.

Schnee.

Regardless of how little she cared about the girl, she felt obligated to see just who her new friend was. If she made the wrong friends and became some sort of degenerate, Weiss knew she would be to blame. At the same time, she had to see if this person would be up to the task of being Ruby Rose's friend.

They had to be prepared. If she could, she would warm them before they got in too deep. She would warn them about her silver eyes and how it was all a trap. Don't look in her eyes unless you want heart palpitations. She would warn them about her smile. If you looked at it too long, it would burn into your brain and  _no_  smile would ever compare.

And finally her laugh. Weiss would specifically tell them to take heed of her laugh. It warps the strongest of minds, reducing them to a puddle.

Ruby's new friend must know what they were getting into.

The red-head waved her hand, directing the person to come over. She didn't  _really_  feel like talking to a new person, but if it meant getting Ruby a new friend, she would.

And getting Ruby away from her. That was obviously the more important part.

"Hey Blake! Come sit with us!" Ruby called.

Hold up. Blake? As in  _Weiss'_ Blake? Well... Not hers, but the one she... Knew.

Sure enough, Weiss turned her head to see Blake. They locked eyes and she could see the hurt expression on the girl's face. Regardless, she walked around and sat at the other end of the table next to Ruby. Her jaw was squared and she was purposefully looking anywhere but at Weiss.

"Hello." Blake softly greeted.

"Weiss! This is Blake, I met her in my shop class. She's making a cool cat thing for her garden project."

"Not as cool as your rose. The petals are really starting to come in. Nice whittling."

"Eheh, thanks." Ruby giggled, scratching the back of her head. "I just like roses, no idea why."

"Oh I have no idea either, Ruby  _Rose_."

The two girls started laughing and Weiss felt a pinprick of jealousy. She shouldn't be though, this is what she wanted.  _More_  than what she wanted, in fact. It solved two problems in one. Now she didn't have to worry about either girl finding new friends, they seemed quite content with each other.

And Weiss could be alone.

Weiss  _would_  be alone.

_Did you expect her to wait for you?_  A voice from within her taunted.  _Isn't this what you wanted? You wanted to be alone._

She did. She wanted to be alone.

_Did you really think that laughter was for you?_  The voice continued.  _Did you think you were worth their time?_

No, she didn't.

_Ruby is only here because you tutor her and you are the only person she knows. But now she knows Blake, and Blake's only here for Ruby. You are superfluous._

She knew that.

"Anyways, Blake this is-"

"I know her." Blake said in a monotone voice.

"Oh! You do?" Ruby said, turning her head to Weiss.

"Yes, we are..." Weiss said, trying to think of the right word to say. If she said friend, Ruby would  _never_  let it go. But if she didn't say friend, Blake would be-

"Acquaintances." Came a cold response from the raven-haired girl, sipping her milk. "Isn't that right?"

"I... Suppose."

"Because friends don't push friends away, saying that they need space, only to make new friends to replace them."

"Wait, Ruby is-"

"NO." Blake said, slamming her carton on her tray. "No, Weiss. You can't just...  _Do_  that. People kept telling me to give you time, to give you space. Well look what  _you've_  done with that time and space."

"Blake."

The girl picked up her now empty tray and stood up.

"I called, I tried!" Blake said, her voice cracking at the end. Then in a hushed and raw tone, she whispered. "Nice to see I meant so little to you."

No words could come out of Weiss' mouth. None came out as she left either. She couldn't call out to the girl as she tossed her trash away and walked out of the lunch room.

She felt numb. She had done all this to punish herself, but now someone else had gotten hurt instead. She was fine with pushing Blake away when it was her decision, but now it was out of her hands. Weiss pushed her first, but in the end,  _Blake_  was the one who walked out.

All of her own volition.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, her voice soft and laden with worry. And for the third time that lunch period, she asked the same question. "Are you alright?"

And Weiss gave the same answer.

"I'm fine." She said, low and cold. "I need to use the restroom, I'll see you in class."

"A-alright Weiss. If you say so."

The heiress stiffly rose up and threw her trash out. As she walked to the exit, she still felt Ruby's gaze on her. It made her want to break, to crack. But she didn't. She waited. She waited until she was in the bathroom, in the last stall. She stood in the stall and everything came tumbling down.

She was wailing, shuddering as each cry sent waves of crushing sadness through her whole being. It enveloped her like an old friend, squeezing out all of her unshed tears. The ones she was too afraid to show to anyone, even herself. She was an utter mess and for a brief moment, she didn't care who knew.

For a moment, she wasn't a Schnee.

She was Weiss, a girl who just lost a friend for good.

And it was all her fault.


	4. Step Negative One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby was determined to fix her mistakes. She would do just about anything if it led to helping Weiss work through this, even if it took her to the heiresses cold home. 
> 
> Closer to her even colder father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, Blue here. I don't have to much to say. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you enjoy this one as well. Enjoy the Roses! (Still weird for me to say Haha)

 

Oh she messed up. She goofed. She goofed  _real_  bad. Ruby only wanted to bring the two girls closer, but now she had only driven them further apart. And, as a result, drove Weiss back into her shell more.

Back to step one. No, that would mean she had a blank slate. Things were far too messed up to say this was step one. Step negative one, that was more appropriate.

Step negative one, make sure Weiss was ok. Ruby ran after Weiss when she left. She made herself invisible and followed her to the bathroom. As she suspected, Weiss was crying in the stalls, trying to save face. That just proved what she already knew; Blake meant more to Weiss than she allowed others to see.

Which meant it was even more important to reconcile this.

The next day in their history class, Ruby kept watching Weiss. She wanted to see how her charge was after what happened at lunch the other day. Nothing; the girl was back to normal. In the last few classes yesterday, Weiss hardly took notes, she didn't even answer a single question. She was just content (if you could call her state such) to sit there and think about anything but the subject they were supposed to be learning.

But now? She seemed fine. She was taking notes dutifully, answering as many questions as she could, and looking alert and attentive. But it wasn't right. It was fake, the false Weiss.

Then again, she had  _only_  seen the false Weiss so far. The moments of her true nature were few and far in between.

"Ruby." Weiss whispered.

"Wha?"

"Pay attention." She said, never averting her gaze from her notebook. Was she staring too much? That wasn't socially acceptable, she should stop. But she was still worried about her charge. So she glanced over at her as much as she could without it seeming strange.

It apparently still did, because Weiss pulled Ruby aside at the end of class.

"I told you I'm fine." She said, her voice a bit too even.

"I know."

"Nothing is wrong."

"I know."

"Stop worrying about other people's issues, Ruby. You'll drive yourself crazy."

"Ok."

There was no use in arguing with her right now, she was not in the right state. But that did mean that step negative one was complete! Sort of? She might not be ok, but if she could get her and Blake to make up again, maybe that would help.

But that plan would have to wait till Monday. It was Friday and she had a feeling that nothing would get solved today (especially since the only class she shared with Blake was Shop). So Weiss watch it was. She went with her everywhere, she went without fail.

Still, no abnormal behavior. Yet, all that showed Ruby was that Weiss had gotten really good at stuffing down her feelings.

 _Thanks, Captain Obvious._  Ruby thought.

She had to find a way to get Weiss a little more comfortable with her. Enough to maybe talk about her issues with Ruby. But how? She needed alone time, which was something she never got with Weiss, since she only ever saw her at school. The most alone time she got was when Weiss was tutoring her.

Wait! That was it!

**XxXxX**

"You want to do what on Saturday?" Weiss asked in disbelief, grabbing her studying materials from her locker.

"Have a little study session!" Ruby chirped, full of glee. "It'll be fun."

"You think me giving up  _my_  Saturday will be enjoyable."

"Well." Ruby said, her happiness dimming. Her shoulders scrunched up and she kicked her foot a bit. A twinge of guilt hit Weiss, but she brushed it away, steeling herself to the girl's cute nature. "We can make it fun. It's just that... There's that quiz coming up and I'm not sure if I'm fully prepared. Ya know?"

"I  _did_  have the same thought." Weiss admitted. Ruby was improving, yes, but Professor Peach may not see that if Ruby scores low on her test. And then Weiss will be to blame. The headmaster will have a word with her father and... That never ended well.

Not that it ever happened, but things rarely went well when it came to her father.

She had the scar to prove it.

But Weiss wasn't stupid. She saw how Ruby had been watching her throughout the day, even if she was trying to be discreet about it. Ruby believed that they were friends. She wanted to help Weiss with the fiasco that occurred yesterday. Well they were  _not_  friends and Weiss didn't need help. Sure, she let her emotions get the better of her, but it was all for the best in the end. She didn't need Blake or Ruby or anyone for that matter.

She was Weiss Schnee. She was better off alone.

And everyone was better off without her.

Blake would be better off without her.

"Fine, but I have to clear it with my father first." Weiss acquiesced. She would let Ruby come over, but there was no way she would worm her way into her heart. Studying only.

Besides, it wasn't like she had any plans on Saturday anyway.

"Really? Oh Weiss, you're the bestest!" Ruby said, bouncing up and down.

"Best. I know."

"Can I... Um... Give you a hug?" She timidly requested.

Weiss' heart skipped a beat hearing this. She didn't  _do_  hugs... But... Maybe one wouldn't hurt.

"If you insist." Weiss found herself answering. She expected Ruby to tackle her with a huge hug when she accepted the offer. Instead, Ruby slowly walked closer and carefully wrapped her arms around Weiss' back, squeezing lightly to show her affection. The heiress feared that Ruby would hear just how fast her heart was beating now. Like a jackhammer, it beat against her small chest.

She didn't know how it happened, but she was now reciprocating the hug, squeezing back. This was what hugging felt like. She had forgotten, it had been a while. Since the time she was ten, her parents hardly hugged her. From the time she was twelve, she told others she did not hug. Now, here she was, sixteen (almost seventeen) years of age, and she found herself regretting that decision.

Hugging Ruby was just like how she felt meeting her for the first time. It was like home, warm, comforting with the scent of something sweet. Tulips? Daisies?

No.

It was roses.

It was roses for sure.

She could  _feel_  the care Ruby felt for her in her hug. It was just as inviting and wonderful as the girl it came from. And Weiss never wanted to let go. Now that she had a taste, she wanted more. It caused an insatiable hunger within her that she could not begin to comprehend.

And she didn't want to.

She wanted to bask in the roses. She wanted Ruby to never let go. Weiss felt so safe and cared for in her arms, despite the fact that she was shorter than her. How was this girl so inviting? How did she reduce her to a puddle with a single laugh?

What  _was_  she?

The hug did not actually last that long, a couple seconds tops, but for Weiss, it felt like an eternity. In a good way. In the best way.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I-I still have to check with my father." Weiss stammered, still reeling from the embrace.

"Sure sure! Um, how about you call me when you know. We should probably exchange numbers." Ruby said, pulling out her phone. She handed it to Weiss and the heiress couldn't help but notice the little rose phone charm that hung off of it. It was... Very Ruby.

She did the same, wordlessly handed her phone over to the redhead. Weiss put in her information and gave it back to the rightful owner. Ruby did the same, smiling from ear to ear.

"Awesome! Let me know and hopefully I'll see you tomorrow." Ruby said, walking backwards. She then turned around and skipped off to head home, presumably.

The ivory-haired girl opened up her phone to see the new contact in her phone. In the 'R' section she found it.

'Ruby Rose' it read, with a small little rose emoji next to it. A small cute little touch that had Weiss smiling.

What was this girl doing to her?

The whole walk home, Weiss could only think of Ruby. Her hug, her laugh, her eyes, the little rose she put next to her name. Her heart sped up just  _thinking_  about her.

How could she let this happen? How could she let someone affect her. She was supposed to be alone, she wasn't supposed to have friends.

Ruby was  _not_  her friend, Weiss was just her tutor.

She blamed the hug. That damn hug. It was so warm and comforting that she let her defenses down. She told herself that Ruby would  _not_  worm her way into her heart, and she would keep that promise. Even if it killed her.

And with the irregular beating of her heart due to the bubbly girl, it just might.

At the same time, she had to question if it was  _so_  bad to let Ruby in. Was it that awful? The girl didn't seem upset about her sarcastic demeanor or wit. In fact, she seemed to like it. She enjoyed Weiss' company, which was very strange. Who would want to be around Weiss Schnee for her personality and not her money.

Blake did.

But she pushed her away.

And she was fine with that.

She was, truly.

Entering her household, she headed straight for her father's office. He would be home by now, she just hoped she could ask him quickly and get on with it.

She knocked three times on the door and waited for the man's response. When she heard a 'come in' from inside, she took a deep breath and entered the cold office.

Jacques Schnee was sitting at his office, paperwork strewn about the desk, a pen in hand. When he noticed it was her, his face drooped a bit. Disappointment, she knew the expression well.

"Weiss, dear. What is it? You're father is quite busy."

"I... I-"

"Do not stutter, Weiss. Schnees do not stutter, it is unbecoming." The cruel man chided.

"I wish to have someone over tomorrow. I am their tutor and they require extra help." Weiss said, reciting the line she had thought of on her way home.

"Tutoring, eh?" Jacques said, a smile growing on his mustached face. "That is very noble of you, my dear."

"Yes," She complied. "May I have permission to have her come over?"

"Yes yes, do what you will. Just do not disturb me while I am working." He waved off.

"Thank you, father." She said, dipping her head in gratitude.

"You are welcome."

Weiss turned to leave.

"Wait."

She stopped, so did her heart. Dutifully, she turned back around and met eye-contact with the man.

"Yes, father?"

"What was your grade on the English exam you took?"

"A ninety-five."

"Ninety-five?" He asked, appalled. "Surely you can do better than that."

"I... Scored the highest in the class."

"Well then maybe the academy is full of imbeciles." He asserted. "I should have sent you to the boarding school up north."

"No!" Weiss shouted, but she slapped a hand to her mouth. Jacques leveled a glare at his daughter. "I mean, please no... Sir."

He leaned back in his chair, assessing his daughter. Scrutinizing her, as if she was another one of his clients.

"Keep your grades up and we'll see, my dear."

"Thank you, father."

"Now please go. I have important matters to attend to."

"Yes, father." She said, leaving the office. As soon as she was out, she released a breath. It worked, it  _actually_  worked.

Still, she felt more anxious after the encounter. She was top of the class and she  _still_  couldn't please him. She worked hard on that exam, in that class. A ninety-five wasn't bad... Was it? Perhaps it wasn't for other people, but for Schnees it was the bar, and they were expected to go above it.

She wished that he was the type of father that would set aside his work for a moment and ask her how her day was. Maybe joke a bit. The type of father that loved her no matter what and was proud of her accomplishments. A father who was merely satisfied if she tried her best.

That would be nice, but it was not for her.

Schnees were busy, important people. They couldn't ask people how their day was, it was beneath them.

Maybe she should start asking Ruby how she was.

**XxXxX**

"Hey Weiss!" Ruby said when the door to the manor was opened. Weiss nodded her head and opened it further to allow her in. "I'm so glad your dad let me come over!"

Weiss looked very different out of uniform. She had on a simple white dress with sheer blue stockings and heels. Her ivory locks were pulled up into her usual lopsided ponytail, but it wasn't as tight as she normally kept it.

Ruby thought it looked better that way, more relaxed.

"Yes." She simply answered. "Come with me, we will conduct the study session in my room. We can't disturb my father, he is very busy."

Weiss' father. He was bad news. She bit back the anger she harbored. No one should hurt their children, physically or emotionally. Weiss had been unfortunate enough to experience both types. But Weiss didn't know that she knew, so she had to play dumb for the time being.

Now as for knowledge about math... Well... She didn't  _really_  have to play dumb with that.

"So." Weiss began as she led Ruby into her room. This was her first time seeing it and it was immaculate. The spacious room was so neat and orderly. The books on her book case had even been arranged from largest to smallest. By the door of her room was a large vanity desk. There was a single jewelry box resting on top. Her drawers were all closed tight, as was her closet door; not a piece of clothing out of place. Her bed was the fancy kind with the post and the canopy thing and it was  _huge_.

The ivory-haired girl walked over to the desk in the other side of her room. There were two chairs by the large writing desk; One that matched it, and one that had seemingly been brought in from another room. She offered Ruby the mixed matched one and the undercover angel took a seat.

"What have you been having trouble with?" Weiss asked, sitting in her own chair.

"Uuuuuh... Integers and um... Numerals?"

"Numbers and numbers?" She asked, her voice deadpan.

"Sort of?" Ruby giggled. She didn't really plan out what she would have Weiss help her with. Not that she actually cared about the class. She only needed to keep up her grades while she was helping Weiss. And even if her grades  _did_  slip, she could borrow some knowledge and bump up those test scores.

"You're hopeless, I don't even know why I bother." Weiss huffed, pulling out the Pre-Calculus textbook and slamming it on the table. "Scoot over here, we have a lot to do and we should get started."

Ruby chuckled again and moved her chair right next to Weiss so they could share desk space. Weiss was close to her now, so close she could smell her perfume. Just like the day before when she hugged her. It was a soft, subtle scent, but one that set Ruby at ease, despite the heiress' cold nature.

Vanilla, that was the scent. Soft and warm. It reminded her of times when she was still human, still mortal. Ruby recalled the one (and only) time Goodwitch let them use the oven to make cookies. Ruby mixed them and Yang put them in the oven. The first batch was great! But they were so preoccupied eating them at they completely forgot about the second batch. The kitchen smelled like burnt cookies for a week.

And Glynda was sooooo pissed. It was a wonder that  _they_  weren't the ones who cause the orphanage to burn down.

Still, it was a good memory, and it made her subconsciously move closer to Weiss. To get a smell of the freshly baked cookies, or at least one of the ingredients. She had long since forgotten what cookies tasted like, but she recalled eating them in  _truckloads_  when she was young.

So the two spent hours studying, practicing and drilling the information into Ruby's brain. It was harder than she remembered and Ruby sort of wished she borrowed more knowledge for today, but Weiss actually was a really good teacher. Maybe she wouldn't even need to use the knowledge reserve.

But, it had been a couple  _hours_  and she was sure that Weiss was probably tired of helping her learn. So it was time to initiate step point zero; get Weiss to try and talk to Blake (or at least get her to be honest about how she felt).

"For this next problem-"

"Hey Weiss? Mind if we take a break? My brain is starting to hurt a bit." Ruby lied with a laugh.

"I suppose so." Weiss sighed, reluctant to agree. Man, this girl did  _not_  give herself a break.

"Aren't you tired?"

"I don't tire of math."

Geez, this might be harder than Ruby thought.

"How about we stretch our legs a bit? Walk around?"

"We shouldn't disturb my father."

"How about we walk outside a bit?"

Weiss looked at her with a skeptical expression, but rose from her seat and grabbed a jacket from her closet.

"Very well, but let's make this quick."

They left the room, Weiss leading Ruby through her large house once again. They walked down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door.

Golly, the house was seriously  _huge_.

"Soooo." Ruby started.

"I'm fine." Weiss said, almost reading Ruby's mind.

"I-I wasn't going to ask you that."

"And what were you going to say." Weiss asked, a smirk pulling at her lips. She had been doing that more often, smiling. It was promising, but Ruby knew there was much more work to be done. Weiss wasn't in a good place, but the silver-tipped angel would get her out. She knew it.

She  _had_  to.

"I-I was gonna ask how you knew Blake."

"Oh... We... Had classes together."

"Didn't seem like just classes." Ruby assessed. "Were you two friends?"

"... Yes, we were." Weiss answered. Her voice was barely above a whisper, her gaze downward.

"What... Happened?"

Weiss was quiet for a moment, but kept walking.

"I happened. I don't have friends, Ruby. They only hold me down."

"But, we're friends, right?"

"I'm your tutor."

"I mean, yeah. But we're also friends."

"Ruby, I-"

"I care about you, Weiss." Ruby said. This got the ivory-haired girl to stop in her tracks. She looked at Ruby with disbelief. Was it so odd for someone to care about her?

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you care about me? I've been nothing but cold and rude to you."

"Cause I can tell you're hurting? A-and you're the first friend I made at school."

Even if she was a normal student, she probably would have stuck with Weiss. Ruby always wanted to save people, to help them when she could. If Weiss was born in the same time as the redhead, she hoped that they would have been friends back then too.

"You could easily make better friends."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"Sure I could make more friends, hang out with other people. But it wouldn't be the same, you know?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Because they wouldn't be  _you_ , Weiss." Ruby honestly answered. "You are you, and  _you_  are special."

"Yes, I know." She answered, walking once again.

Really? That easy?

"You do?"

"Yes, I am a Schnee, of course I'm special."

Oh gosh.

"No, you're special because you're Weiss and you're my friend."

Weiss turned back with another incredibly disbelieving look, but behind that, she could see the girl was taking it in. She looked away, but a ghost of a smile phased across her face. Her eyes were growing watery, but she rubbed them once and it was nearly gone.

"Thank you."

**XxXxX**

The young redhead tapped a pencil to her lips in concentration. And Weiss? She was just staring at this girl. She let down her guard, she let it down a bit when Ruby told her she was special. No one ever said  _she_  was. They said Weiss Schnee was, but never simply Weiss. She was shaken by this.

So much so that she wound up spilling the beans about her friendship with Blake. Not  _too_  much, but small things. How long they knew each other, what was it like being her friend, questions of that caliber.

Still, for Weiss, that was one too many things. She couldn't seem to help herself though. Ruby had this... charm about her that she found hard to resist. And there inlay the problem.

Because part of her wanted to struggle against it. To resist Ruby and her inviting demeanor. She didn't want to let the girl get any further, she  _had_  to block her out. She wanted to quit being her tutor, so they had no other reason to see each other, besides the classes they shared.

Yet, the other part of her (and she would argue the weaker part) wanted to give in. To let this bubbly girl into her life. That maybe she  _did_  truly deserve this kindness. She wanted to be friends with her, to receive more hugs. She wanted to spend more time with her and hear about her interesting views of the world. And that part  _definitely_  wanted to see Ruby out of her school uniform. The girl was wearing a pair of form fitting gray pants, a weathered red v-neck t-shirt and a red hoodie that was just a bit too big for her. It was very Ruby, and this part appreciated that.

But, neither option seemed quite right, and Weiss found herself trying to balance some sort of strange middle ground. Oh, how easier life would be if she just hadn't met the girl.

How much easier life would be if her heart didn't pound so fast when the girl was near.

"I think I got it!" Ruby exclaimed with glee. She picked up her sheet of paper and presented it to Weiss like it was a diploma, so proud of herself. "See! I got them right... Right?"

The ivory-haired girl looked over the equations one by one. Correct, yes, mhm, a little sloppy but she got there, check, check. Weiss, too, found herself smiling in pride.

"Well question four was done a little haphazardly, but you  _did_  find the correct answer regardless. Good job, Ruby."

"Yes!" She cheered, but Weiss' words seeped in a second later. "Wait, what did I do wrong there?"

"You didn't do the right steps, but got the correct answer." She told her pupil. Weiss slid over to better show what she meant, grabbing the utensil Ruby had been using to write. "If this comes up in the test, this technique might not always work."

"So what should I do?"

"You should-" Weiss began, but stopped when she noticed the other girl's close proximity. Her silver orbs were wide and attentive, flicking between Weiss' gaze and the paper with the equations. And she could smell it again, the sweet scent of roses that emanated from the girl. She truly lived up to her last name.

And her lips. She always found her smile to be quite lovely (aesthetically, of course), but she never noticed just how red her lips were. She wasn't wearing any lipstick, or any make-up for that matter, but her lips looked so deep. And plump.

And inviting.

"Weiss?" Ruby said, breaking Weiss out of her trance.

What was she  _thinking_?

"Oh! Um... Y-you should just follow the same steps a-as the other problems. You sh-shouldn't have a problem if you d-do that."

"Okie dokie!" Ruby said. "Think I'll be set for the test?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Awesome! Thank you so much!" Ruby said, grabbing one of Weiss' hands with both of hers and squeezing.

"Of course. It's my job as your tutor."

"Yeah, but not every tutor would go above and beyond like you!" Ruby said. "You're special, Weiss."

That was the second time Ruby called her that, and her whole being felt uplifted from hearing it.

"Um... Thank you."

Ruby smiled at Weiss, but her eyes darted to the clock on her wall.

"Oh wow! Is that the time? I gotta head home!" She exclaimed, releasing Weiss' hands and shooting up from her seat.

"I'll show you out."

"I'd appreciate that. Your house  _is_  kinda... Well... Hugenormous."

"Hugenormous?"

"Yeah! Huge and enormous." Explained Ruby, as if it was obvious. Weiss led Ruby out of the door with a shake of her head.

"That is most certainly  _not_  a word, Ruby."

As well as redundant.

"Sure it is! It's a compound word, right?"

"Oh my goodness, perhaps we should have studied English instead of math, hmm?" Weiss teased.

"Hey!" Ruby protested. And again, Ruby was the one person lately who had gotten Weiss to laugh. "Well maybe we can study that next time."

"Next time?"

"Yeah! Next Saturday." Ruby said. "I mean, unless you don't want to. I wasn't sure if this was a one time thing or not."

Another Saturday. Another study session. Weiss wasn't sure if her poor heart could handle one of the vicious attacks the girl caused her.

But still, Ruby needed help in her studies.

"I suppose next week will be fine. I will have to ask my father once again."

"Yay! You're the best, Weiss!" Ruby said as she left through the door. "See ya Monday!"

Weiss closed the door and leaned up against it for a second.

"That girl." She said, meaning to say it in a frustrated manner. But it came out as more of a pleasant sigh of contentment, a smile even gracing her otherwise stoic features.

Smiling about her friend.


	5. Shop Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Righting wrongs, locking friends in classrooms, pretending to eat ice cream? All in a days work for Ruby Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! It's Blue again! Got a new chapter for you guys, keeping the good feelings train going just like last chapter.... But Y'all know me, that won't last haha. Thanks for all the feedback! I'm so glad to see that you all are liking it so far! As always, I hope you like this one as well. Lemme know what ya think. Enjoy the Roses! (Wow, can't believe I made that mistake)

 

Step zero, get Weiss and Blake to be friends again. Now that step negative one was  _really_  complete (seeing how wonderfully Saturday went) She could move onto getting Blake to understand what was really going on. Beyond the misunderstanding, there was clearly some hurt going on, Ruby could tell.

When she walked into class, she wasn't very surprised to see that Blake was there early, working on her garden piece already.

"Hey, Blake!" Ruby greeted. The girl in question stopped her sanding and smiled. "Getting an early start?"

"Yeah, wanted to use the sander before everyone hogged it." She said, patting the smooth edge of her block of wood. It was really starting to take shape now, very cat like. She hadn't put the holes inside of the wood yet, but that was the next step, Ruby could tell. She could also see why she needed the sander so bad. Blake was working on the tail, trying to shape it properly. It looked very nice too, very curvy and cat-like.

"It's looking great, Blake!" Ruby commented.

"Thanks. It's not as cool as your rose, but I think my mom will like it."

"Aw come on! That is just as cool if not cooler than my dumb rose. Your mom will  _love_  it."

"Thanks, Ruby." Blake said with a smile. The raven-haired girl then took a piece of sandpaper and began to sand some difficult areas by hand. While she did that, Ruby took out her rose pieces. She didn't really expect to enjoy any of her classes on this assignment, but making this rose was pretty cool.

As a kid, she always loved doing crafty things like this. She would pull things apart, put them back together, figure out how things worked. She recalled the time when she pulled apart one of the two radios they had in the orphanage. Goodwitch looked like she was gonna blow a gasket over it. But Ruby  _was_  able to put at back together, better than ever. It just... took two weeks.

However, she wasn't there to make wooden roses and pass math tests. She was here for Weiss, to help her on her path. And that started with talking to Blake.

"So Blake... You're friends with Weiss?"

"We  _were_  friends." Blake said, not bothering to look up from her block of wood. "Did she tell you that?"

"Yes."

"Ah, I see she's moved on from me."

"Blake, that's not what's going on."

"Then what is, Ruby?" She said, snapping her head up and making eye-contact. "Cause one minute she's pushing me away. She's pushing me away and telling me we couldn't be friends anymore, that she couldn't be friends with  _anyone_. And the next she's... Got you."

"I'm not trying to take your friend, Blake!"

"I'm not saying you are." Blake told her. "I guess I understand though. You're pretty cool Ruby. Happy and positive.  _You're_  what she needs, not me."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Ruby exclaimed, setting down her rose pieces and moving closer to Blake. "You're her friend!"

"I  _was_  her friend."

"You still are! Weiss was just helping me adjust to school here, tutoring me." Ruby explained. "Of course she needs you."

"Does she?" Blake asked. She set her wooden cat on the table. "Weiss is in a bad place and I couldn't help her. Apparently you could. She doesn't need the quiet book worm, she needs someone bright and optimistic."

Gosh, Blake wasn't doing so well either. She didn't see what a positive influence she was on Weiss' life. Maybe that was because Weiss never admitted it to her.

"Blake, she's tried pushing me away too."

The bookworm looked to Ruby, a bit surprised.

"I'm not stupid, Blake. I see how she keeps her distance, how she puts on the ice queen persona. I guess … I'm just too stupid to stop trying to break through it."

"Ruby," Blake said with a sigh. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't think she'll let anyone break through. And even if she did, it certainly won't be me. So can we just drop the subject?"

"Uh, yeah.. Sure." Ruby answered. Dang it, she really thought she was getting somewhere with this! Both girls were extremely stubborn, but they  _needed_  to talk this through. She was tempted to just trap the two in a room together and make them talk it out.

Or maybe, that was  _exactly_  what she needed to do.

"Hey Blake, what are you doing next Saturday?"

**XxXxX**

This would be their third study date together.

Session.

It was a study session, not a date.

After Ruby did well on her math test (a solid eighty-two) Weiss knew that having more of these would help the girl get caught up for sure. And then she would be just fine in her classes, she wouldn't  _need_  a tutor. She would be just fine on her own. They wouldn't have these study sessions anymore.

Weiss wanted to be happy about that, but something about it always made her feel down.

This time, however, she was meeting Ruby somewhere else. They were to meet at the school. Apparently she had some shop class things she needed to do. The rest of the school was closed off for the weekend, but Ruby told her that the shop teacher gave some of his students permission to use it on the weekend.

Ruby had charmed someone else into helping her, the girl was something else.

She was somewhat glad they would be in a semi public place, even though not many people would be around. Being alone with Ruby in her room created... Thoughts. Nothing she would act on, naturally, but she still didn't like having them.

Ruby and Weiss had now known each other for a couple weeks, and the ivory-haired girl felt her resistance waning by the day. Ruby was too sweet and kind to treat her as bitterly as she had before. She had become much like Blake, she wanted her around, but she was afraid she couldn't do that.

Being friends with a Schnee was a recipe for disaster.

They deserved better then her.

Yet, Ruby didn't leave. She was always by Weiss' side. That was... comforting.

Heading towards the back of the school, she saw her pupil waiting just outside the shop door, swinging a key. When the red-head noticed Weiss, she ceased her swinging and waved wildly.

"Hey! Come on over!" She called. In response, the tutor quickened her pace to reach the girl faster.

"Hello, Ruby."

"You go on in, I'll be in in a bit."

"Alright." Weiss agreed, walking into the small building. The room was filled with various different tools. Saws, sanders, drills, some tools Weiss didn't even know the  _name_  of. But the thing that first caught her eye was the girl who was also working in the room.

"Blake?"

**Thud!**

The door slammed shut behind her and she heard a loud 'Kashnk' of the lock.

Oh.

Oh  _that_  was why Ruby wanted to meet somewhere else.

She was gonna KILL Ruby when she got out of here, that was for sure.

"Weiss? What are you doing here?"

"Ruby told me to come here, I assume she told you the same?"

"Yeah, she did."

"Of course, figures." Weiss scoffed. "The girl is  _always_  trying to fix things."

"She set us up."

"Obviously." She snapped. "She wants us to talk."

"Well there's nothing to talk about."

"I know, I told her that as well."

"Fine."

"Fine."

The exchange between them was quick and snippy and ended in a silent stare. Blake went back to what she was working on. It was a large hunk of wood that had something similar to a tail cut into it.

"What are you making?" Weiss asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I was just asking."

Silence fell between them once again. The tension was palpable, the icy indifference and heat of hurt. Weiss backed up to the door and silently jiggled the knob. It was, in fact, locked.

Oooooh Ruby was so dead.

"It's a cat." Blake said.

"What?"

"We are doing a garden project. It's a cat." Blake explained. She lifted up her wood and Weiss could clearly see the silhouette of a cat. The raven-haired girl was in the process of cutting out the eye.

"It... Looks very nice." Weiss commented.

"Thanks."

More silence. Weiss was used to silence, it was something that was very prevalent in her household. She was  _not_ , however, used to it with Blake.

Alright, she kind of was. On many occasions, the girl was known for being taciturn and introverted. At least it was a comfortable silence back then. Blake would read or just listen to her surroundings and Weiss would study, but she wasn't alone.

Now, even with Blake in the room, she felt lonely.

She couldn't stand this much longer, she needed to get out before she drove herself nuts. Blake obviously didn't want her here, so she might as well leave. It would just be easier for everyone.

Weiss turned around with a sigh and eyed the door, trying to see how to open it. There had to be some sort of trick or something. The heiress hopped up to look out of the little window at the top of the door. She couldn't see Ruby outside. Huffing, Weiss openly tried the handle out again, jiggling and shaking it. She growled, the door would not budge.

"Don't bother." Blake said in a flat tone.

"Excuse me?"

"If the door is locked from the outside, it can't be opened from the inside."

"That is not very safe." Weiss commented.

"Nope." Blake said, popping the 'p' and continuing with her work.

Walking around the room, Weiss looked for another exit.  _Something_  to get her out of there.

"There is the window, you know." Blake suggested.

"What?"

"The windows. They're up there though." Blake pointed (never looking up from her project) above the cabinets on the wall where a row of windows were located. "You really want to get away from me, don't you."

"I..." Weiss tried to refute, but found herself unable. She couldn't. Blake wasn't wrong. While she was stuck here, might as well... Try?

She looked at Blake's project again.

"You have always loved your cats, haven't you."

"Not as much as my mom." Blake said with a slight smile. "I'm giving this to her."

"That's very nice of you."

"I... Considered making a rabbit one."

"A rabbit?"

"Yeah," Blake confirmed. "I was gonna give it to you."

"I... Me?" Weiss muttered. She was at a loss for words. She had pushed Blake away, she told her she didn't want to be friends, she made her think that she dropped her only to make new friends... And she still wanted to make something for her. "Why?"

"Because you're my friend. You  _were_  my friend, Weiss."Blake said, setting her wooden cat back down. "I thought that... Maybe it would brighten your day."

"Why would-"

"Weiss, don't. Don't pretend like you don't know. Like  _I_  wouldn't know." Blake almost shouted. "You've been in a bad place for a while, Weiss. You've been depressed and I've been worried sick. I know that sometimes... You have to work these things through on your own, I get that. But don't push away the people who care."

"You don't understand, Blake."

"No, I do."

"No you don't!" Weiss yelled, stepping forward. "You have no idea the pressures I'm under, the people I will have to deal with in my life, the expectations! I am Weiss Schnee! I have to be strong! I am Weiss Schnee! I have to be independent!"

"Weiss." Blake said, coming closer to the shouting girl. It fell on deaf ears though, Weiss was too worked up.

"I am Weiss Schnee! I need to be perfect, have the perfect grades! Friends are a distraction! I just n-need me!" Weiss cried out. She wasn't sure when, but tears were streaming down her face. "I...I... I'm... I-'m-"

The raven-haired girl closed the distance and wrapped her in a hug, holding the shuddering girl close. Weiss didn't realize how much she was shaking. She didn't realize how much she had been  _feeling_. But it all came flooding out. She weeped about the stresses and the pressures and the personal hell that she had been putting herself through. She just... Let go.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Blake."

"Shhhh, it's ok. It's alright, Weiss."

"I didn't want to hurt you."

"I know."

"A-and I didn't get R-Ruby to replace you."

"I know that too."

Weiss pulled away from Blake for a moment and looked at her. She had no doubt that she looked like a mess. Her nose was running and her eyes were undoubtedly puffy and red. She found similar features on the girl who was holding her. Blake had been crying as well.

"But I put you through so much! I was so cold! Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because that's what friends do, Weiss. They forgive each other."

**XxXxX**

After Weiss had calmed down, the two finally knocked on the door that kept them in. Blake was so upset that Ruby had done that at first, but now she was thankful. She had gotten her friend back, and that was the important part.

Though she knew Weiss wasn't out of the water yet. Weiss' troubles were deep, she had a lot to deal with. But at least maybe she could help. She could be with her.

And Ruby could too.

Weiss is so lucky she met her. A real angel she was. I mean, who else would try and help someone who was acting like Weiss? Blake didn't know many. It's why Weiss didn't have many friends, they didn't bother to try and break through her icy guard. That and the fact that she was a Schnee. People connotated that name with power and therefore feared it.

And Weiss couldn't do a thing about  _that_.

"Ruby. We're done." Blake yelled through the door.

"You are?" Came a muffled question. Blake smirked. Of course she was right outside the door, waiting.

"Yes, you dolt! Now let us out." Weiss shouted back. Now this? This was  _much_  more Weiss.

Slowly, they heard Ruby unlock and timidly open up the door. Ruby had a very sheepish smile on her face and she was rubbing her elbow with her left hand. Her silver eyes looked past Blake to Weiss. Blake swiveled her head to see the ivory-haired girl.

She was fuming. Weiss had a deep scowl on her face, her brow was knitted in rage. Her shoulders were hunched up and she walked towards the girl who had locked them in there together.

People may call her the ice queen, but now she was all fire, filled with anger.

"Weiss! I'm sorry, I just wanted to fix my mistake and get you two to be friends again and-"

The stomping girl interrupted her rambling with a tight hug. She pulled Ruby in and squeezed.

"Thank you." She muttered.

"... You're welcome."

Ruby hugged her back, but not for long. Weiss pulled away and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"But don't EVER do something like that again, you dunce."

"Y-yes." Ruby answered quickly.

"I suppose... I was being a  _little_  stubborn though." Weiss admitted.

"A little?!" Blake exclaimed.

"Ok! A lot." Acquiesced the heiress. "I'm sorry."

"Enough apologies, you can only go up from here, right?" Ruby said, patting Weiss' shoulder.

"I suppose."

"Hey! How about we all get some ice cream! To celebrate a touching reunion."

"Did you have that planned from the beginning?" Blake asked.

"Uuuh, noooo." Ruby clearly lied.

The three laughed at Ruby's antics. The girl was incredibly cute and there was something about her that just pulled people in. It was a bit awkward walking and talking with Weiss again, but the three girls all started to relax around each other on their walk over to the ice cream parlor.

The man in front greeted them merrily and waited for them to decide on the flavor they would choose. Weiss chose vanilla, Ruby chose strawberry and Blake chose mint chip.

"Ok, that'll be $10.20 all together or-"

"Together is fine." Ruby interrupted, pulling some crumpled bills out of her red hoodie.

"Ruby, you don't have to-" Blake started.

"Blake, I locked you and Weiss in a room. I owe you ice cream."

"Are you sure? I could cover all of us myself, Ruby." Weiss offered.

"Nope! My treat!" She said, just as the man was handing out Weiss and Blake's cones. Ruby took hers last and motioned for the pair to sit down at one of the booths in the establishment. Weiss began slowly eating her vanilla ice cream and Ruby smiled at her. Blake expected the energetic girl to dig into her cold dessert and make a mess everywhere. Yet, she only licked every now and then, not very much at all.

Did she not like the flavor she got?

Weiss seemed to notice too.

"Ruby, your ice cream is going to melt if you don't eat it." She chided.

"Oh yeah! You're right, I should have some more- Oh no!" Ruby said, her hand slipping as she went to rest her elbow on the counter. Her sweet treat, cone and all, crashed to the floor. "Aww maaaan."

"You dolt, the table was slippery because you were letting it drip everywhere."

"I didn't mean to!" Ruby moaned.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Blake added. She stopped eating more of her delicious mint ice cream, feeling bad for her friend.

"It's fiiiine." Ruby pouted.

"Why don't you get another one? I can cover it this time." Weiss offered. Blake smiled. She was happy to see Weiss back to her old self a bit. But at the same time, she was... Different. She couldn't quite place it. Before, Weiss would have just scolded someone for what Ruby had just done, but she was softer with her.

"It's ok, Weiss. Really!" Ruby said, laughing.

"Well... Then at least have some of mine." Weiss said, holding out her dessert.

Wait, what?

"Are you sure?"

Weiss was sharing her ice cream?

"Yes, it's fine. Just don't take all of it. I get a bit jittery if I have too much anyways."

Blake watched as Weiss handed her cone over to Ruby, a soft smile on her lips. She saw how Weiss watched the redhead eat some of her ice cream. The ivory-haired girl seemed happy to do so too.

Blake was baffled by the gesture.

It wasn't that she didn't share, but something like... This? Sharing ice cream seemed a little bit... different. Like an indirect kiss.

When Weiss retrieved her cone from Ruby, the raven-haired girl watched her. She wanted to see where Weiss took her first lick. It sounded crazy, but it meant something. If she licked the opposite side, it meant that it would bother her if she ate the same ice cream Ruby had licked. Same side? That meant something entirely different.

No, she shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe Weiss didn't think about it. Maybe she forgot that ice cream was something that people didn't really share too often from a cone.

Ok, this was Weiss she was talking about. The girl over thinks pouring milk into her cereal (seriously, Blake remembered the lecture she received when she was younger). She HAD to know what she was doing.

And then Weiss did it.

She ate from the same side as Ruby, her eyes closed with this... Content look on her face.

Oh.

Oh, that's why Ruby was able to break through to her.


	6. The Class Skipper, Weiss Schnee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happiness is a wonderful feeling, especially when shared with others. However, it is a fleeting thing and can be dashed away in an instant...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Blue here. I'm so happy to hear that y'all are really enjoying this story, cause it has truly meant to much to write! As always, I hope you like the next chapter of this story (and seeing Ruby and Weiss get closer and closer). Enjoy the Roses!

 

It had been two weeks since Blake and Weiss had reconciled and Ruby couldn't be more relieved. Step Zero was complete! Now step one was underway, trying to change Weiss' mindset. Easier said than done. When you've been in an abusive relationship as long as Weiss, skewed views seem normal.

The key was time. Ruby had a feeling she would be here a while for this assignment. Not that she minded. In fact, she found that the more time she spent with Weiss, the more she enjoyed her company. She liked to make people think she was the closed off, icy heiress that would destroy you with a single look, but Ruby knew there was more.

And that wasn't just because of the information she had been given.

Weiss was actually very sweet and considerate, though she wouldn't admit it. She clearly felt bad for how she had treated Blake, so she went out and bought a hardcover copy of a book series that her friend liked.

She also tried to scope Ruby out. This made her a  _little_  nervous, it would probably not go over well if she were to discover who (or technically what) she really was. But the way she asked her questions, it was clear that she just wanted know what to buy Ruby.

How sweet. But Ruby didn't need any material things. She couldn't take them with her, so she didn't want Weiss to waste her time and money on her.

It did make her feel a little special. Charges don't always do things like that for their angels. Then again, angels are never typically in their charges lives this long or this close.

Ruby couldn't believe she used to dread doing this assignment. Maybe this was the appeal Yang saw in field work. Meeting new people who were kind and warm and smelled like vanilla. People who fussed over how much or little that she ate or worried about her studying enough to get good grades.

_If only I could keep being friends with Weiss after this assignment,_  Ruby idly thought.

Wait...

"That's a step too far." She heard someone say. Ruby jumped, worried that the angels could somehow read her thoughts now. She didn't mean it! It was just a thought. She didn't mean to think that!

"Huh?" Ruby responded. Her heart slowed down when she realized it was just Weiss speaking to her.

"I said you went a step too far with that equation." Weiss repeated. "Are you alright? You seem a bit... Jumpy."

"M-me? Yeah! I'm right as rain." Ruby stammered. Weiss' eyes narrowed as she scrutinized her.

"Riiight." She said, her voice laced with suspicion. "Ruby, may I ask you something? And I need your honest answer."

Ruby's mouth went dry. What could Weiss want to know?

"Um, sure." Ruby answered. Whatever it was she could come up with a convincing lie. And if she didn't have to lie, perfect! She didn't really care for lying anyways, Yang always said she was terrible at it.

"Are you..." Weiss started, pausing as she inspected Ruby closely. "Ready for the history test coming up?"

Oh.

That was it.

"Ehehe, probably not." Ruby giggled, still a little on edge.

_Get a hold of yourself! You can't let her grow suspicious._  Ruby told herself. Luckily, Weiss believed her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, but it was in a very exaggerated manner that meant she was being playful. It was funny how Ruby had begun to read Weiss's body language so well.

She was fluent in Weiss speak.

"You are truly hopeless, Ruby Rose." Weiss said.

_You are so silly, Ruby Rose._  She translated in her head.

"What am I gonna do with you?" The ivory-haired girl continued.

_You bring surprises into my life._  Ruby thought. She smiled at the secret language that only she and Blake seemed to know. No one bothered to learn it, but if they did, it would be worth it. Ruby was certain of that.

"Uuuuum, tutor me?" Ruby asked. Weiss glared at her, but couldn't seem to get rid of the traces of her smile. So it came off as more of a cocky smirk. It was a good look for her. "Pleeeeeeaase."

"I suppose we can extend out Saturday study a little longer." Weiss huffed, but she didn't seem too disappointed about it. "But we should be getting something to eat, don't you think?"

"I'm not too hungry actually. I-"

"Ate a big breakfast." Weiss completed for her, making Ruby's eyes widen. "I know your excuse. I'm beginning to think you just don't want to eat around me. What? Afraid I'll judge the way you eat?"

"Wha? N-no! I-I-"

"Well, I could always teach you proper table etiquette." Weiss suggested.

"Um, I think my brain is too filled with English and math... And soon history." Ruby complained.

"It was just a joke, Ruby."

"You?" Ruby gasped. "Joking? Unheard of!"

"Oh ha ha, veeeery funny." She said, keeping her tone flat. "Come on, let's go downstairs and eat something."

Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand and practically dragged her downstairs. She had been a lot more physical with Ruby lately. Little shoulder pats, touching her hands for reassurance, a couple hugs here and there. Slight touches, but for Weiss, it was a lot.

She was happy to gain Weiss' trust, it would be a lot easier to help her that way.

Right.

Cause... This was just a job. It was Ruby's job to get close to Weiss.

It was only a job.

"Klein!" Weiss called when they were in the dining room. Ruby hadn't been in there yet. The table was just as grand as all the other things in the house. It was long and pristine. But how could they have dinners at a table like this? They would have to shout to hear each other.

Ruby supposed Weiss' family  _didn't_  eat together, and even if they did, it would be filled with uncomfortable silence.

The silver-tipped angel recalled dinners at the Goodwitch orphanage. Their table was about half the size, wooden and was brimming with a whole house full of orphans, all screaming for food. Oh and the food fight! Yang started that one for  _sure_  (despite what she might say), but that is when the table finally had enough. After Liam jumped up and started pelting everyone with peas, the wooden legs gave way. This caused Liam to drop the peas, slide down the broken table and get slimed by every piece of food on the table.

_That_  was a good meal.

"Yes, Weis- Ah! You have a guest with you today!" The man exclaimed, very happy to see Ruby. "Hello, I am Klein Sieben. At your service."

The red-head knew who the man was. He was  _basically_  Weiss' father; supportive, loving and nurturing. She was grateful that, at the very least, the heiress had someone like him in her life. Who knows what would have happened without him.

"Ruby Rose! Nice to meetcha!" She greeted, extending her hand. The man laughed heartily and shook her small hands.

"A polite one too. Of course our little snowflake would pick only the best of friends."

"Kleeeein." Weiss moaned, a blush dusting her cheeks.

"Snowflake?" Ruby teased, causing the flustered girl to pout.

"You know, on second thought, maybe you  _don't_ need help in History..."

"No Weiss! Please?" Ruby pleaded, playing along with her game. She looked over to her tutor and gave her her biggest set of puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, fine. I guess I'll help you out still." She acquiesced.

"Yay!"

"Klein, could you please fix us something to eat?" Weiss requested. "Please?"

"Right away, ma'am."

Weiss took a seat in the center of the table, rather than the end. Ruby supposed this was out of habit. She imagined that her parents were the only ones permitted at the ends. Ruby took Weiss's lead and pulled a chair over so she could sit next to her.

"So, he was..."

"Our butler." Weiss answered. "The man practically raised me, if I'm being honest."

"What about your dad?" Ruby dared to ask.

"Father is far too busy and important." Weiss answered in a robotic manner. As if she had that answer ready for years.

"I'm sorry." She offered, placing a hand on her shoulder. A week ago, Weiss might have shrugged her hand off. Three weeks ago she would have pushed it off. Before that, they wouldn't even be having this conversation. But now, Weiss placed her own hand on top of Ruby's, giving her a smile.

Look how far they had come.

"It's ok. I manage."

"You shouldn't have to 'manage', Weiss."

"I know." Replied the heiress. "But it's the best I can do."

Wow, Weiss truly had come a long way. She seemed so much happier now that she wasn't alone. But... It wasn't time for Ruby to leave yet... Right? No, Weiss wasn't out of the woods yet. She had more time.

More time to help her. Just to help her.

"Here you are." Klein announced, placing a plate of mashed potatoes and sliced up sausage in front of the two girls.

"Thank you, Klein." Weiss said. She daintily retrieved the fork that was placed next to her plate and began to eat. She was eating more than she used to, and Ruby was glad to see that. She didn't know how she made eating look so elegant, it was like a dance. An art form that Ruby never mastered, Yang could vouch for that.

Apparently she had been staring, Weiss stopped right before she was about to eat another piece of sausage.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"You can eat too you know?" Weiss informed her with a smirk.

"I can?" She responded in fake shock. "I thought I was too unsophisticated to eat!"

"I never said that!" Weiss defended.

"Ah, but you implied it!"Said Ruby, pointing an accusing finger.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Oh just... Eat!" Weiss said, taking a forkful of mashed potatoes and pushing it towards Ruby. Unfortunately, Ruby moved right before it was about to go into her mouth, smashing into her face. Weiss drew back her utensil in surprise, slapping a hand over her mouth. "Ruby, I-"

"Oooooh." Ruby said. "So  _that's_  proper eating etiquette."

The red-head giggled, scooped up some mashed potatoes in her hand and smashed the other side of her face.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, trying her best to stifle her giggles. Oh, but that wasn't good enough. Ruby was  _determined_  to make the girl laugh.

"Ooooh, sorry. Where are my manners?" Ruby said, picking up more food in her hands. "I should share!"

"Ruby Ro-" Weiss tried to warn, but it was far too late. Ruby smashed a glob of potato paste in her face. It was at this moment that she wondered if she went too far. When Weiss opened her eyes, there was blue fire within them, a scowl on her face.

"Uh, um... Weiss? Are you ok?" Ruby asked. Weiss just stared at the girl. "Weeeeiss?"

"Ruby Rose... You are going DOWN!" Weiss told her, smiling and picking up some sausages from her plate. She stood up from her seat and pelted them at Ruby. She was giggling loud with each piece of meat she tossed. In response, the younger girl grabbed her own sausages and used her plate as a shield.

When she was out of sausages, Ruby put her plate back down on the table and threw her own sausage.

"She's on the defense! Attack attack!" Ruby shouted. Within a minute, Ruby was also out of ammunition. With no food left to pelt, the pair just looked to the mess they had just made and then to each other.

And then, Weiss laughed. Hard and true, the heiress was actually weeping she was laughing so hard. And Ruby found herself joining in, laughing along with her.

Mission successful. She didn't have to eat anything  _and_  she got Weiss to laugh. She didn't recall ever hearing her true laugh before. It was so cute and real, so full of happiness. Ruby wanted to see more of that, Weiss happy. It suited her, and she was quite pretty when she smiled. Well she was  _always_  pretty, but she was EXTRA pretty when-

Of course this was only objectively. Only for her job.

"Did you enjoy- Oh my." Klein said when he re-entered the dining area. He looked around the room at the condition they had left it in. Weiss turned around to face him, trying (and mostly failing) to cease her laughter.

"S-sorry, Klein." She apologized. "We... Um..."

"It's fine, miss." He said. "Did you at least have fun?"

"W-well... I suppose."

"Then that's what matters." Klein said with a smile. "Now, why don't you two go and clean yourselves up."

"Thank you, Klein." Weiss said, turning around to leave.

"Oh, Ruby? Could you stay back for a second?" Klein requested. Uh oh, this couldn't be good. Weiss looked at Klein and then to Ruby. She slowly walked away, looking back a few times in concern. The redhead who was left behind gulped.

Ok, the mess  _was_  her fault, she should take responsibility for it. Klein didn't seem that mad when talking with Weiss, but now she was alone with the man. He probably would lecture her on how to properly eat food and scold her for the mess she made.

"I am so sor-"

"No." He interrupted, raising a hand in front. "Thank you."

"Uuuuh, what now?" Ruby asked, flabbergasted at his response. "I just made a mess."

"No, you fixed one. I have not seen Weiss this happy in a long time, and I think you have helped her with that." Klein explained. "So for that I must thank you. Even if it means I have to clean some mashed potatoes off of the floor."

"Oh, um... I don't think it was  _just_  me! Blake has been very supportive too!"

"Yes but she looks at you differently, Ruby." He commented, picking up sausage pieces.

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing, don't worry about it. Just get yourself cleaned up, ma'am."

"Yeah, ok. Thank you, Klein." Ruby said before running off to the bathroom across from Weiss' room. It was a nice one too, had a sink that looked like a bowl. It was weird, but kind of cool.

She wondered what Klein meant by that though, did Weiss look at her differently? And how? She was a lot friendlier with her now, sure, but she didn't see her look change. It was the same as how she looked at Blake... Right?

Then again, now that she  _really_  thought about it, Weiss was perhaps a bit softer around her. And she felt her eyes on her when she thought she didn't know. So there was veracity to his statement, but what did that mean exactly?

Ruby was so preoccupied with trying to crack that code that she didn't notice the figure walking down the hall when she turned the corner. She crashed right into him and bumped backwards a bit.

"Oof, I'm sorry, I..." Ruby started, but stopped when she noticed who it was.

Jacques Schnee towered over Ruby Rose, looking quite upset.

"And just...  _Who_  might you be?" He sneered, looking her up and down. He obviously noticed the mashed potatoes smeared across her face. Ruby couldn't care less. She was boiling with anger just  _looking_  at the man.

This man.

This man caused Weiss so much pain. So much suffering. Ruby wanted to slap him, to scream in his face, to do something to pay him back for the damage he did to his daughter.

Yet, that would only cause more pain for Weiss, and she refused to do that.

So she put on her best smile, stood up straight and proud and extended her hand.

"Hello, I'm Ruby Rose. You're daughter is tutoring me."

The taller man looked to her mashed potato covered hands and frowned even deeper.

"Ruby!" She heard Weiss call from a bit down the hall. As soon as she saw her father, a myriad of emotions flashed across her face, and her demeanor changed for each one. First she was terrified, then reluctant, and finally stoic. They were quick, micro-expressions really, but Ruby caught them all the same. "Hello, father. I see you have met my pupil."

"Yes... I can see why she needed the extra help." He offhandedly insulted. "And were you two the cause of the uproarious laughter earlier?"

"I wouldn't say it wa-" Ruby started.

"Yes, sir. I apologize for that." Weiss quickly answered for Ruby. She grabbed the redhead's hand, ready to lead her away. "Come along, Ruby. You need to get cleaned up."

"Nice to meet you." Ruby called out as Weiss dragged her to the bathroom.

"Hmm." He said, his eye narrowing.

He was as bad as she imagined.

When the door was closed on the bathroom, Weiss let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Weiss." Ruby muttered.

"No... No, it's alright. You did better than most in front of Jacques Schnee." She said. Weiss walked over to the counter and grabbed a cream colored washcloth from a drawer. "He made someone wet themselves one time."

"No way!"

"Yes." She told her, laughing at Ruby's disbelief. "You didn't pee yourself, did you?"

"Of course not." Ruby protested. And, though Weiss didn't know this, it would be physically impossible for her to anyways.

"Then you're doing better than that guy. Now come over here so I can wipe off those potatoes." Weiss directed, running the washcloth under the sink. The red-head complied, moving in closer to Weiss.

Ruby anticipated a rough scrubbing, she thought that Weiss would take the wash cloth and get her clean quick and fast. Done and over with. It certainly was her style, efficiency was one of her ideologies.

This is not what happened.

The ivory-haired girl softly held the bottom of Ruby's chin in one hand, and then gently wiped off the leftover food. Her touches were slow and deliberate, taking care to not irritate her skin. Ruby knew she wouldn't feel the pain, even if Weiss did scrub hard, but this made her feel good.

Blue eyes intently looked over Ruby's cheeks, intent on cleaning every potato-smeared inch. Wow, they were such a pretty blue, like a pristine glacier; Amazing to look at, but much more going on beneath the surface.

Was Weiss scrubbing after all? Ruby's cheeks kind of felt a little warm.

"There, you're all clean."

"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby said. "B-but I could have done it myself."

" _Suure_  you could've." She said, a sarcastic edge in her tone. "Now, are you ready to get back to it?"

"To what?"

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Studying?"

"Oh! Right! Yes, let's uuuh... Hop to it?" Ruby said, skipping towards the door.

"Please don't  _actually_ hop, Ruby." Weiss moaned.

"I will make no such promises."

**XxXxX**

Ruby walked into school on Monday and rushed in so she could see Weiss for a couple minutes. She used to just beeline it to shop, but ever since her and Weiss had been getting closer, she wished to see her charge as much as she could.

She enjoyed seeing this new Weiss. Ok, maybe not  _new_  new, but new to her. And she liked it. More relaxed, more peaceful. She was really doing her job well, the other angels had to be proud of her.

When Ruby saw Weiss' face, her heart beat just bit faster. That was strange. The angel wasn't used to feeling her heartbeat so often, but she was certain it wasn't supposed to beat  _that_  fast. She couldn't die, so that wasn't a worry of hers, but it was odd to her.

That fast beating organ sank as soon as she caught Weiss' attention. She looked upset. Well, she didn't look upset to anyone else, but Ruby  _knew_  she was. The angel picked up her speed to reach her charge.

"Hey Weiss, you ok?" Ruby asked casually. She didn't want to scare Weiss, she could tell she got nervous when people saw her as anything but perfect.

Weiss didn't know that she was  _always_  perfect, even when making mistakes.

Ruby thought so.

When she heard Ruby, she glanced over for a second, and then back to her locker. In that moment, Ruby could see sadness that infiltrated her ice eyes once again. It pained Ruby, she was just so happy a couple days ago, what could have happened?

"I'm fine."

"Weiss." Ruby moaned. "Stop saying that, I know by this point that means you're not."

"I... I'll be ok." Weiss said, trying to adjust her phrasing. Probably to get Ruby to stop asking. But she wouldn't, she cared about her and she wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Weiss." She pleaded, grabbing her free hand. Weiss quickly looked to where their hands met, to Ruby's eyes, and then to the ground. This time, sadness was clear on her face. And something else.

There was a fading red mark on her face.

Oh god.

The bastard.

"Not now, Ruby. I'll explain it later." She said, her voice hushed and shaky. Weiss squeezed her hand and released it, walking off to her first class of the day, and Ruby just watched her go.

Her heart breaking a bit.

The whole time during shop, she thought about Weiss. About what that monster had said to her, had  _done_  to her. Immediately, she felt as if it was her fault, but she knew that wasn't true. A good father wouldn't do things like that.

"Ruby? Ruuuby."

Ooooh she wished she could punch the man. She wished that she could take Weiss away from all of that, to help her escape his cold grasp.

"Ruby, you're gonna sand your fingers off." Blake warned.

"Huh?" Ruby reacted. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts of Weiss that she didn't even notice that she was sanding down so close to her fingers. Not that she would notice too much, but it would look suspicious if she didn't get burnt by it. "Oh, whoops."

"I've been trying to call your name for a while now." Blake informed her. "Distracted?"

"Yeah I guess." Ruby said, now purposefully sanding rather than mindlessly doing so. "I'm a little worried about Weiss."

"Why? She's been so happy lately. Happier than she normally is, even before everything."

"I know bu-" Ruby started. "Wait, really?"

"Yes." Blake said with a chuckle. "She really enjoys being around you, Ruby.  _You_  make her happy."

"B-but you make her happy too!"

"I know I do, but it's different with you. I'm not complaining or saying it's bad, she just likes you in a  _different_  way than she likes me."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. Why was Ruby different? She was another friend of hers, not even her longest one. She should be treated just like Blake, right?

"Oh Ruby." Blake sighed. "I'll let you figure that out on your own."

"Wha? Aw come ooooon." Ruby complained, but Blake just shook her head and went back to her cat piece. It was basically done at this point, she had the base ready to be glue to the bottom and the whole cat cut out. She simply had to add another piece to the eye. Blake decided to drill into the eye and add a wire with a yellow bead for the eye.

While she watched Blake work, she thought about what the raven-haired girl meant. Did Weiss act differently around Ruby? What would that mean for her though? She would have to leave Weiss eventually, she knew that. She would leave when Weiss was better, when she could stand on her own two feet, but she never considered what she would do if Weiss got codependent.

She didn't  _seem_  codependent though, maybe that isn't what Blake meant? She wasn't sure. If anything, Weiss seemed to be thinking for her own more.

"Why are you worried about her though?" Blake asked.

"She seemed kind of... Down earlier today. Sad?"

"Hmm, probably her family." Blake commented easily.

"That isn't right, it's not fair."

"No, it's not."

**XxXxX**

The ivory-haired girl walked alone to the lunch room. Normally she would walk with the bubbly redhead, but she used the bathroom at the end of class.

She wished that she was there, she didn't feel as down with Ruby around. But Ruby couldn't stop her father from yelling at her for making such a mess. For being so loud while he had to work. She couldn't stop him from hitting her when words didn't cut her deep enough.

What he didn't know was that his words always cut her deep, she just chose not to show that.

"Weeeeeiss." She heard a familiar voice whisper. Looking over to the source, she saw Ruby peeking behind the wall just before the lunchroom doors.

"Ruby? What are you doing?" Weiss asked, striding over to the girl. When she got close enough, she grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the lunchroom. "Ruby!"

"Come on Weiss, we're going out to eat!" She explained, dragging her closer to the exit doors.

"What? No! That's against the rules!" Weiss protested, wrenching her hand away and stopping just before the exit. What was the girl  _thinking_? She couldn't do this! A Schnee wouldn't-

"Forget about the rules. Forget about doing what  _everyone_  else wants you to do. And if you really don't even want to do what I want you to do," Ruby told her. She stepped forward and waved her hand back towards the way to the lunchroom. "Then you don't have to."

A choice, Ruby was giving her a choice. It was not something she had been afforded in the past. Not often, that was. She could easily go back to the lunch room, and she knew that Ruby wouldn't mind. She could leave and Ruby wouldn't care.

Anything she did in this moment, Ruby wouldn't judge her for.

So now the question was... What did  _she_  want.

Well as a Schnee, she shouldn't leave school without permission. She was to follow the rules, the ones the school set and the ones that her father set. There was no deviation, no bending without her getting broken.

_A Schnee wouldn't break the rules._  She thought as she moved towards the door.

_A Schnee wouldn't leave during the school day._  She thought as her hand grabbed the handle of the door.

_A Schnee wouldn't follow what she wanted to do._ She thought as she opened the door and walked out.

She felt Ruby follow behind, running beside her as the heiress left the building.

How nice it was, for once, to not be a Schnee.

**XxXxX**

Ruby and Weiss found themselves at some nearby burger joint. A run down little diner (if you could call it that) that Jacques Schnee wouldn't dare set a foot in.

Weiss loved it.

What she didn't love was the restroom. It was dirty, grimy and smelled of bacon for some odd reason. Bathroom bacon did  _not_  seem to appealing. She left the pig scented room and returned to Ruby. By the time she got back, the girl had already finished her burger, there wasn't a trace of food left on her plate.

"Oh, so  _now_  you're hungry." Weiss teased, sitting down in her seat across from Ruby.

"Yeah." She chuckled. "I actually skipped breakfast this time."

"Wow, that's surprising for you." Weiss commented. The heiress picked up her greasy burger and tried to ignore the way it oozed. Despite the look of it, it was quite flavorful. "Mmm."

"Good, right?"

"Surprisingly." Weiss said after she finished chewing and swallowing her burger bite.

"Glad you came?" Ruby asked, a little nervous. She probably felt bad, like she coerced her to come out. That wasn't the case at all, Ruby gave her the  _choice_  and she  _chose_  to skip the lunch period.

"Very glad." Weiss assured her.

"Um, Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"How did you get that mark on your cheek?" Ruby asked softly. Weiss stopped her eating. She placed her burger on the paper plate and stared down at her hands.

Ruby knew.

"What do you mean?"

" _Weiss_." She emphasized.

Ruby reached over the table and grabbed one of Weiss' hands. She looked meaningfully into her eyes. Those eyes, those silver eyes were still like home to her. Just like the first day they had met. Those eyes that wouldn't judge her, wouldn't look at her any differently.

She trusted those silver eyes.

"It was only once." Weiss mumbled.

"It should never happen at all. Fathers shouldn't hit their kids."

"I know. But what am I supposed to do?"

"Call someone, tell someone."

"No one would believe that Jacques Schnee would do that, and even if they did, he would hire the best lawyers to prove otherwise." Weiss explained. "Besides, he doesn't do  _that_  as often as you think. Just when he is disappointed."

"Weiss, it should  _never_  happen." Ruby asked. "Do you have any other family you can stay with?"

"None that will take my side."

It was hopeless to try and stop it, there was no stopping Jacques Schnee. He did what he wanted, regardless of others.

"Alright, let's not talk about this now." Ruby suggested. "Let's just... Sit here and talk about anything else. Talk about the good things in your life."

"You want to talk about you?" Weiss thought out loud. Her eyes widened as she registered what she had just said. Ruby looked shocked as well, but a smile grew on her lips.

"I think you are a good thing for me too."

After that, they just talked for a while. About anything  _but_  Weiss' family situation. She was happy that Ruby hadn't pushed it further, but if she did, Weiss probably would have told her everything. Every single thing that had caused her harm in the past.

"You learned fencing?" Ruby asked in excitement, watching Weiss get up from her seat momentarily to throw out her trash. When she looked down there, she saw a whole, uneaten burger in there.

Huh, strange. Who ordered a burger and just threw it out?

"Yes, I studied it since I was six." She informed her. She sat back down in her seat. "It's been a while since I took a lesson, though."

"Why'd you stop? It seemed like you enjoyed it."

"I did." Weiss agreed, smiling softly. "Didn't seem as important to me."

"Maybe you could start up lessons again! You mi-" Ruby stopped herself mid-sentence and stared, jaw dropped, behind Weiss.

"Ruby? What is it?" She asked before turning to look.

Behind Weiss, stood a very stern looking Headmaster Ironwood.

"Miss Rose, Miss Schnee." His voice rumbled. "Shouldn't you be in class?"


	7. From Great Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's never easy to fall, no matter how you were feeling before the decent. But from great heights, the damage can sometimes feel irreversible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Blue, coming at ya with a new chapter. Sorry for the late chapter, life has been a bit busy lately. 
> 
> Now I have to warn you guys, this chapter is very heavy. VERY heavy. Normally I leave most things a mystery for you guys, but I would be remiss if I didn't include this trigger warning. This chapter is dealing with attempts of suicide. 
> 
> Warnings aside, thank you for your continued support of this fic! I truly appreciate all the feedback, so thank you. We are almost at our halfway point either this fic (I think?)! 
> 
> Anyways, I hope y'all like this chapter, lemme know what you think. Enjoy the Roses!

"I am very disappointed in you two." The headmaster said, circling the two girls in their chairs. Ruby shifted in her seat. It was all her fault. She felt horrible. It was  _her_  idea that got them in this situation. Gosh, she was so bad at her job.

This is the second time she only caused Weiss more pain than anything. First with Blake, now this. But it wasn't like she was doing this on purpose! She had honest, good intentions! They just sort of... blew up in her face.

Apparently, some kid saw them leaving the school during lunch time. That kid told another kid, and that other kid told yet another kid. Soon, the whole cafeteria was gossiping and they weren't exactly discreet about it. A teacher caught wind of it and reported to the headmaster right away.

When he heard it was Weiss Schnee, he decided to find the two girls himself. The man wanted to see it with his own eyes before doling out punishment.

Well, he certainly did see it.

She should have known that skipping class would end up in a mess. It never ended up well for Yang  _or_  Ruby when they did. Then again, it was a different time, in a run-down school. They got away with it a little more often. It was ironic that her new headmaster was the son of Jimmy. Ruby was glad to see that the man encouraged his son to reach high and rise above his station.

Not that that would help them now. What would she say? 'Oh hey! Me and my sister knew your dad, Jimmy. Yes, I'm a lot older than I look, I died in 1938. So mind letting this one slide just this once? Pretty please with a cherry on top?'

No, that would not go over well.

"And you, Miss Schnee." He said, stopping in front of Weiss. "You are top of your class, you're supposed to be  _setting_  the example, not giving into temptation."

"I am so sorry, sir." Weiss nearly whispered. She looked so scared. It was as if this was her greatest fear come to life. She was holding herself closely, but she had luckily stopped shaking by the time they were called into the headmaster's office.

When they were outside of the office, Ruby apologized profusely. Weiss would mutter quiet 'it's ok's, but it did nothing to deter the angel's guilt.

Ironwood rambled on about the importance of following the rules, but Ruby wasn't listening. She was focused on Weiss. She looked over, hoping to catch her eye. She wanted those ice blue eyes to flit over to her so she could shoot her a supportive and reassuring smile.

Before she could capture her attention, Ironwood caught it first. He finished his speech and sat back down in his chair and sighed. This was familiar. Ruby been in principal offices more times than she cared to admit, but at least she didn't mouth off like Yang did.

That would  _not_ help Weiss at all.

"Listen, ladies... You both have never caused any issues, you've never done anything like this before. So I'm going to let you off with a strong warning. But, not heeding  _my_  rules again will not bode well. Is this understood?"

"Yes, sir." Weiss answered. Ruby could tell she was relieved.

"Yes." Ruby mumbled.

"What was that?" He said, with a little more force.

"Yes, sir!" Ruby repeated.

"Good." He said, satisfied. "Now by the time you returned to school, we were in last session. Class is over and you may leave. I have called both your parents and notified them of what transpired today. Miss Rose, I was only able to reach your parent's answering machine, so I trust you to tell them what you did if they don't receive it. Is this clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

"Y-you..." Weiss muttered, choking on the words. She looked as if the words were lodged in her throat and refused to come out. She grew a few shades paler (if that was possible) and the shaking from before resumed. "You called my father?"

Weiss' voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. She was  _terrified_ , her delicate hands had gripped her skirt, bunching it up. Ruby wanted to take her out of here, take her away. She wished she could just wrap her up in a big hug and never let her go.

But she couldn't do that now. That would have to wait until after this meeting. This very pointless and detrimental meeting. It was honestly only making Weiss feel worse, even if she  _wasn't_  being punished. Ruby had no family to scold her (Ok, She  _did_ have Yang, but they were both angels so she had a feeling she wouldn't be yelled at today).

"Yes I did. While I may be letting you off the hook this time, your actions still warranted a call home."

Weiss didn't say a word, she just stared at him in anguish and disbelief. Ruby rose from her seat and had to shake Weiss a bit to spur her into motion. It was as if she had been teleported to a frozen tundra; Frozen, shocked and shaking.

"Thank you, Sir! This won't happen again, Sir!" Ruby called back as she practically dragged Weiss out of the room.

"I trust it won't."

Once they were out of the door, Ruby began pouring apology after apology once again.

"Weiss! I am so sorry, Weiss. I didn't think we would get caught and I just wanted you to have some freedom for once and I-"

"Ruby." Weiss whispered. It was so soft, so vulnerable and nearly inaudible. But Ruby heard it and stopped talking immediately. The ivory-haired girl picked up her head and looked Ruby in the eyes. The storm in her eyes calmed, the blue sea tamed. And before she knew it, Weiss was pulling Ruby in for a tight hug, squeezing with all her might. If Ruby was still mortal, she could tell this would probably hurt. "Thank you for today, Ruby. It was lovely."

"Y-yeah, it was... Fun." Ruby hesitantly answered, returning her embrace. Gosh, it felt good to hold her now. Ruby wanted to just hold and comfort her, but she had a feeling that she wasn't really doing that right now.

Weiss let go and there were tears in her eyes.

"Weiss?"

"I have to go home now. Goodbye, Ruby." She said, her voice cracking a bit.

"I-I can walk home with you!" Ruby suggested. Something was wrong, Weiss was so calm and so sad at the same time. It was very disconcerting and made Ruby feel a bit off.

"No, I have a ride this time." Weiss said, already walking away. "Goodbye, Ruby."

"Weiss?"

"Goodbye."

Weiss left Ruby behind.

Oh Ruby didn't like this, she didn't like this at all.

**XxXxX**

It was another late day at the office for Jacques Schnee, apparently, the man was not home when Weiss arrived. The near catatonic heiress swiftly slipped off to her room, ignoring Klein when he asked how her day was.

Her day? It was wonderful, stupendous, fantastic. She spent a couple hours sitting and talking with Ruby in a dinky little burger place. But that was a mere spark in the deep darkness she had found herself in.

It was just how her life seemed to go. A mere flicker of happiness, of hope, only to see it yanked away and ripped to shreds.

And now  _she_  would be ripped to shreds.

The headmaster called her father. Her father knew she had broken the rules. Weiss pondered this, going over what she would say to him, pacing in her room.

Oh god, oh god he would be so upset with her. She could lie. She could say she was trying to stop a friend from skipping school, trying to get them back. Pin the blame on Ruby.

But then she would never be allowed to see Ruby again, and that thought did not sit well at all. It was quite painful in fact.

Who was she kidding though? Headmaster Ironwood no doubt told Jacques who else was involved, and if he didn't, it was coaxed out of him. Father knew that Ruby was the reason she skipped school. He would conclude that she was a bad influence. He would forbid her from seeing Ruby.

No, he would go a step further.

He would send her to one of those military schools, away from everything. Something solitary and sad.

It was over, it was all over. Weiss had gained back her friends just to lose them once more. The pinprick of joy was over, now only darkness awaited.

Back to isolation, to living day to day for the sake of living.

No joy.

No freedom.

No escape.

Escape.

Weiss wanted to escape then and there. She wanted out, she had had enough. As soon as that man walked in that door, her life was over. Done. Finished.

She was hyperventilating, tears streamed down her face. Her pacing sped up. There was nothing she could do. Nothing at all. It was all futile.

And then she stopped.

Her crying, her heavy breathing, it ceased when her head snapped to the window of her room.

And then she knew what to do.

**XxXxX**

Like before, Ruby would make her wrongs right again. Thank god for invisible angel powers. She slipped into James Ironwood's office, prepared to do what she needed to to make sure Weiss would be alright. He may have let them off the hook, but she wasn't convinced that he would never bring this up again.

The man's receptionist (cause yeah, it was one of those fancy schools where the headmaster had a receptionist... Did he even have  _that_  many meetings that it would warrant one?) walked in and placed a stack of papers on his desk.

"Here you are, Sir." The young man informed him. "These need to be looked over and signed before you leave."

Ironwood sighed.

"Couldn't just let me go home, huh Forest? Just  _had_  to give me more work to do." Ironwood told him in a exasperated, but still jovial manner.

"Sorry, Sir."

"Nah, it's fine. Someone's gotta do it." He said. He sounded much more relaxed when he wasn't addressing his students. Kind of like Weiss, he had to keep up his appearance.

"How did it go with the students who skipped?"

"Ah, it was fine. They're good kids, they just made a wrong decision."

"Pardon me for saying this, but don't you think that lax punishment breeds complacency and makes them more likely to rebel again?"

"In many situations, yes. Most of the time I  _do_  rule with an iron fist, Forest." Ironwood explained. "But this was a different case. They were already scared, there was no chance they would do it again. And Miss Schnee is a star pupil. She is a rule follower. I think she's allowed one 'get out of jail free' card, you know?"

"I guess I can understand that."

"But now I need to make some phone calls." He told him, rubbing his temples. "Not looking forward to having another conversation with Jacques Schnee. His smug superiority is palpable, even through the phone."

Hold up. He didn't call him yet?

"I thought you told them you called their parents?" Forest asked, as if he was reading Ruby's mind.

"I called Miss Rose's parents, got no answer there." He informed him. "I wasn't going to tell Miss Schnee's father, but if I made special excuses for the students I like better, many parents and students would accuse me of favoritism."

"But you  _do_  like Miss Schnee better than the rest."

"Yes, but  _they_  don't need to know that, Forest." Ironwood said, winking at the secretary.

"Understood, Sir."

"Alright, I gotta call. Can you please give me a moment alone? It might get ugly." The headmaster sighed.

"Yes, of course." Forest said, walking out of the office and closing the door.

Ironwood was  _just_  about to pick up the phone and dial the number on the page in front of him. Yet, before he could, Ruby got to him. Still invisible, she crept behind him and placed her hands on both sides of his head. She couldn't erase the memory of the event from his mind, that was too risky and she would probably get in trouble for that.

But maybe she could change it a bit.

"James Ironwood junior." Ruby called, her hands glowing around his head. "Can you hear me?"

As if in a trance, the man's back straightened up and his head faced forward. He looked much more like a robot now. Ruby hated doing this, messing with others minds. She hated meddling like this, but if it would help Weiss, she would do it.

She would do it a thousand times over.

"Yes." He answered.

"Good. Now what you thought you knew was not how the course of events occurred." Ruby recited. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Weiss came to you during her lunch period. She told you she was concerned for a friend, concerned that she was skipping. You had her lead her to where she was, a burger joint just outside of school bounds. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"There will be rumors that Weiss skipped class, some students and one of the teachers will swear this is what happened. They are wrong. Weiss did not skip school, only Ruby did. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"So Weiss should be around Ruby more." Ruby added, a little selfishly. "She is a good influence on her. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Now, who else knows about this little incident?"

"Just Forest, my secretary. I was going to inform the teachers of the classes they missed tomorrow."

"Good to know, thank you." Ruby said. "Now, I am going to release you and when I do, you will forget what Weiss has done. If you feel the need to call Jacques still, it will be to praise Weiss. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

With that, Ruby removed her hands. She made quick work of changing Forest's mind too.

Making wrongs right again. Then again, she wouldn't  _have_  to if she hadn't messed up in the first place.

Twice.

Ruby was beginning to think she just sucked at this field work thing.

Did Yang have to change memories?

Oh well, what's done is done. Her main focus was on Weiss now. Ruby sent her charge a text, an excuse to come over.

_'Hey Weiss! I left my lucky pencil at your place. I'm on my way over to get it! :)'_ The text read. Ruby nodded, satisfied and sent it. A lucky pencil was a poor excuse, but she had a feeling Weiss wouldn't question her for it.

Her silver-tipped wings burst from her back and she flew to Weiss' house and straight into her room. She anticipated seeing Weiss in there, curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth. But the ivory-haired girl wasn't in her room. Her phone was, but the girl was gone.

_Maybe in the bathroom?_  Ruby thought. She reluctantly checked, but found it empty. She searched through the entire house, every single room.

Weiss wasn't  _there_.

She might have gone somewhere else, but where? She couldn't really tell where Weiss was unless she was calling Ruby's name.

Ruby left the house, to search else where. Maybe she never left the school? But no, her phone was here. A walk perhaps? Went out for a leisurely-

_Ruby._

A voice appeared in her head. But it wasn't the other angels. It was Weiss. She uttered her name, and it was filled with utter pain and resignation. It sent a chill down her spine.

And then she knew where she was.

Ruby looked up.

She looked up and saw Weiss.

On the roof of the Schnee Estate.

**XxXxX**

Weiss watched the sunset on the horizon. She was standing on the flat part of the roof, just like she did when she was a kid. She found that most windows allowed you to climb out and onto the roof. When she wanted to escape, she used to come here and watch the sky change.

But if she told herself that was the only reason she came out that night, that would be a lie.

It was a beautiful sunset, bursting with oranges and yellows. It faded into a pink and amethyst sky, the deep blue creeping behind her. She felt the chill of the nighttime start to creep in, attempting to claim her. It would have her soon, she was sure of it. She just wanted to see the sun set though, to take it in.

She personally preferred sunrises, finding something so morose in the setting of the sun. But this time it would be a welcome melancholy.

Fitting, even.

God the sky was so pretty from that view. She could see the whole town, silhouetted by the sun's brilliance. The bursts of golden streams felt like heaven on her face. They beckoned her to follow it in it's setting, laying to rest for the night.

Only Weiss would not be rising that morning.

She would fall.

The heiress wished that she could wait until the sun was fully set, but her father would be home by that time, she needed to complete her goal before then. She found it a bit ironic that now she was above the great Jacques Schnee Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, Weiss took a step forward.

Then another.

A tear rolled down her face, just one. She didn't think she had any tears left to cry, but one somehow escaped.

She took a step.

They would all be fine without her around. It wasn't like her father really cared, it wasn't like her mother really noticed, it wasn't like her brother really saw her, and it wasn't like her sister was even there. They would move on, show grief to keep up appearances and be done with it. It's how all Schnee's handled loss, why would hers be any different.

She took another step.

Now Klein, Klein would miss her. He was always more like a father to her. Could the same be said for her? Was he like his daughter? Weiss wasn't sure, and that uncertainty added to the coldness in her heart.

Step.

As she neared the edge, she thought about Blake.

Oh.

Blake would miss her.

She would miss Weiss a lot. She didn't see the girl cry often, but she imagined this would break her down. Maybe she would understand though. She knew Weiss' situation, she knew there was no escaping it. She would probably understand.

Weiss started crying more, thinking about how much she would miss Blake, but she would see her again. Blake didn't want her to hurt, so Weiss would do what would stop that pain.

Another step.

Besides, Blake had Ruby and-

All thoughts stopped when she remembered Ruby.

Ruby.

_Ruby_.

That bubbly, babbling redhead that squeezed her way into Weiss' heart. The one that proved to her that the organ wasn't as frozen off as she had thought.

"Ruby." She said. She wished she could apologize to Ruby too. That she could give her another hug. She had a feeling that recent one would be her last, but she was afraid to admit it to herself.

Now she was sure.

"Weiss." She heard a soft voice call, a little scared. She smiled, thinking that she imagined it.

"Ruby." She said back, smiling.

"What are you doing up here?" The voice asked again. This time, Weiss was  _sure_  it hadn't come from her head. Turning around, there was Ruby, on the roof with her.

"Ruby?" She asked, startled by her presence. "What do you mean what am  _I_  doing? What are you doing? How did you get up here?  _When_  did you get here?"

"I came to get a pencil back? But that doesn't matter, Weiss." Ruby said cautiously. She took a slow step forward. "What are you doing?"

"I-I... I..." Weiss stammered, trying to find a good excuse. "I was watching the sunset."

"Weiss." Ruby said, cutting through her lies. "What are you  _doing_  here?"

"I'm... Um..." Weiss started again. She searched once more for an excuse, but found she couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't lie to Ruby. "It's... So hard, Ruby."

"I know, I know it is."

"No you DON'T!" Snapped Weiss. "You don't get it, Ruby! There's  _no_  escape for me."

"Yes there is! There's  _always_  another way!" She argued, taking another step closer. In response, Weiss took a step back. She hoped it would be the last step, but she wasn't close enough to the edge yet. When Ruby saw that, she put her hands up and took a pace back. "Weiss, please."

"Ruby." Weiss said, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, but this is the only way. I don't blame you, just so you know. I don't want you living with guilt your whole life."

"Like how guilty you'll feel if you do this?" Ruby said, her voice becoming a bit more stern. "How you'll hurt the people around you?"

"They'll get over it!"

"No they won't!" Ruby shouted. "They won't, Weiss. And you know why?"

"Why?"

"Cause you're important."

"Because I'm a Schnee? Well there's always my brot-"

"It's  _not_  because you're a Schnee, Dammit!" Ruby cut her off. "It's because you're YOU! Weiss. People love  _you_ , Weiss. You are important to Klein, to Blake. To me!"

Weiss stared at Ruby, who was now crying too. The girl took another step and Weiss let her.

"B-but... My father. I told you, I can't escape him!" Weiss protested.

"Now. You can't escape  _now_." Ruby said. "And I am truly sorry for that. I'm sorry that you feel so stuck, but it won't always be that way, Weiss."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're sixteen!" Ruby said. "You've got a whole life of wonderful possibilities ahead of you."

"But how do you  _know_?"

"I don't, not for sure. But I  _do_  know you." She explained with a smile. "I know how smart, strong and resilient you are."

"I... I don't know."

"Weiss, come to me for a second." Ruby asked, lowering her voice for the request.

"Ruby."

"Please? Meet me in the middle."

Complying to Ruby's wishes, Weiss moved further away from the ledge. When the two met in the center, Weiss almost expected Ruby to grab her and refuse to let go until she promised to not do what she was about to do.

But this is not what Ruby did. Ruby squeezed her hand lightly and turned Weiss around to face the sunset once again.

"Weiss, there is so much waiting for you beyond this household, beyond your family." Ruby began, almost whispering in her ear. She placed her hands on both of her shoulders to steady her. "Just beyond the horizon, there is change. There's good things, new friends, the love of your life could be just beyond that horizon."

She felt one of Ruby's hands leave her shoulder and gesture to the distance.

"There is a lot of bad in the world, I'm not gonna lie to you. But I think the good far outweighs the bad!" Ruby softly spoke. "There is so much good in this world, and it's just waiting for  _you_ , Weiss."

"What if I  _am_  the bad, Ruby?"

"Nope." She simply answered.

"No?"

"Nope."

"But I could be."

"Hmmm." Ruby said, as if she was thinking. It sounded more facetious than anything, though. "Nope."

"You say it with so much certainty." Weiss sighed. "Obnoxious, irritating certainty."

"That's because I  _know_  you, Weiss." Ruby said, giggling a little. "I know there's a lot of good in you. And good attracts good. Laws of attraction, right?"

"Good  _god_ , what did they teach you in Vale? Opposites attract, Ruby."

"Pssh, I knew that." Ruby said. This caused both girls to become lost in laughter. When that died down, Weiss stared at the horizon, wondering if Ruby was right. If more good waited for her, just out of her reach.

Or maybe there was good where she was, but she was frightened to discover if she was wrong about it or not.

But Ruby.

Ruby was definitely good.

"The sun is setting, Ruby." Weiss whispered. More tears silently rolled down her face.

"It will come up again." Ruby said, snaking her hands around Weiss' waist and hugging her from behind. "It always does, and always will. And you'll get to see it, Weiss. I'll stay up all night if you need me to. I'll stay up all night and watch that sunrise with you."

At that, Weiss started sobbing. She dropped to her knees, all intention to move closer to the edge left her. In an instant, Ruby let go of Weiss and walked around her to hold her in front. Weiss wept openly into Ruby's arms, clutching feebly to her red hoodie. She didn't think she would be able to hug Ruby, (she was curled up in a ball, crying) but clutching her jacket was the best she could do.

"I'm sorry, I'm suh-so so sorry." Weiss cried out, shaking in Ruby's stable arms.

"Sssshhh, it's alright. It's ok. You're gonna be ok now, alright? Everything will be ok." Ruby soothed. The hand on Weiss' back lifted off and ran down her long hair. Ruby pulled out her pony-tail and ran her fingers through her long ivory tresses, taking care to not pull too hard.

It felt amazing, and for once she relished in the fact that she was here. She was still here. She was here to feel the sensation of someone who cared about her making sure she was alright. Rubbing her back, her shoulder, petting her hair.

Good wasn't just on the horizon like Ruby said.

It was right in front of her too, running fingers through her hair.


	8. Together, We Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A time of comfort, a time of rest. 
> 
> A time of new discoveries. 
> 
> Ruby and Weiss learn to be more honest with themselves...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Blue here. Soooo... Last chapter was... Pretty rough. But we got through it! This chapter will be a bit more fluffy (which I doubt any of you will be opposed to haha).
> 
> Again, I can't thank you enough for your support of this story. Honestly, I've been going through a bunch and writing this story has been very cathartic. I hope that it may help you guys too. 
> 
> Also, I snuck in a little (very little) sneak peak of something to come in the future.... Tell me if you find it. ;)
> 
> Let me know what y'all think. Enjoy the Roses!

Ruby stayed with Weiss that night, to make sure she would be alright. She gently guided her back into her bedroom and held her in her soft bed.

Seriously, it was  _incredibly_  soft.

All the beds back at the orphanage were lumpy at best, full of holes and broken springs at worst. They didn't throw those ones out though, just flipped them over till both sides were worn to bits.

A reeeal great place to raise kids.

When they got into her bed, Weiss immediately clung to Ruby again. Her poor charge was shaking like a leaf, so shook up by what she had almost done. God, if Ruby hadn't come back to check on her, who knows what would have happened. She was glad her intuition was correct this time.

"Ruby." Weiss whimpered, gripping her tighter.

"I'm here, Weiss. It's ok."

Then came a knock at the door. Ruby felt Weiss tense up in her grasp. She rubbed her back and leaned in close to Weiss' ear.

"It's alright, just ask who it is." She told her.

"Who is it?" Weiss repeated.

"It's Klein, ma'am. Your father is home and requests to have a word with you."

"I-I'll be right there." Weiss barely managed to make out, her shaking growing more intense. But so did Ruby's grasp. She held Weiss close and whispered reassuring phrases in her ear.

"Shhh, it'll be fine. Just talk to him. And if it doesn't go well, I'm right here for you." Ruby assured her. The ivory-haired girl lifted herself off of Ruby and looked her in the eyes.

"You'll still be here?" She asked.

"Of course." The red-head replied, tucking a piece of loose hair behind Weiss' ear. There was something about seeing her charge with her hair down. She looked so beautiful, her long ivory strands flowing down her back like a stream.

Weiss seemed to believe her, because the next minute she rose from her bed and left the room without another word. But Ruby would not simply wait in the room for her, not a chance. As soon as Weiss left, Ruby turned invisible and followed her to her father's office. Even though she knew he wouldn't know what Weiss had done that day, the man was still awful.

She wouldn't let him undo the work she had just done.

Weiss knocked on the door and her father called her in. Ruby wanted to hold Weiss' hand, to put an arm around her shoulder, anything to comfort her right now, to let her know things would be ok. The best she could do was lightly touch her shoulder (while invisible) and  _try_ to let Weiss know she wasn't alone.

"Hello father, you wished to see me?" Weiss said, not showing her fear in the least. Wow, she was a little  _too_  good at that.

"Yes, I received a call from your headmaster." He coldly stated. Ruby  _knew_  he wasn't told what really happened, but his tone made  _her_  nervous. "Something happened today."

"It... Did."

"I must say I am glad to hear you handled the situation well."

"Huh?" Weiss said, flabbergasted.

"You turned your friend in for breaking the rules. You handled that well. It isn't easy to tattle on a friend, but it's the first step to becoming a great leader."

"I'm sorry, I'm a little confused."

"What is there to be confused about? I am saying you did a good job." Jacques said. "Though it  _would_ have been better if you prevented it in the first place."

Wow, this jerk can't even let her have one compliment without picking her apart, can he? The angel behind Weiss wanted to punch his stupid smug face, but she knew she couldn't do that.

Oooooh, but if she could...

"Yes, Sir." Weiss chose to agree.

"That is all, you can go now." He waved her off.

Now that the immediate danger was over, Ruby zipped back to Weiss' room and waited on her bed. When she returned, the ivory-haired girl didn't look as anxious, but very confused. She explained what her father told her and Ruby just shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe Ironwood was taking sympathy on you." Ruby suggested.

" _Headmaster_  Ironwood." Weiss corrected. "But it just seems odd, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't question it, Weiss. Just enjoy the fact that you got off the hook!" Ruby said, pulling Weiss back towards the bed. "See, good things."

Weiss gave her a small weak smile. Slowly, she situated herself back into her bed, letting out a long yawn.

"Tired?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. I suppose I should get some rest." Weiss said, slipping under her covers. This was Ruby's cue to leave. She thought about erasing Weiss' memory of her being here at all and leaving only the comforting feeling, but something in her wanted Weiss to remember she was there for her.

A selfish side.

Ruby got up from the bed and started to walk off. When she was only a step away, however, a hand grabbed hers.

"Wait!" Weiss exclaimed, panic infiltrating her voice. "C-can you stay here for the night? Th-that is if it's alright with your family."

"Uh, sure!" She told her. "Let me just call them."

Ruby walked away from Weiss, pulled out her phone and pretended to call someone.

"Hey mom!" She told no one. "Yeah I know it's late. I was wondering if I could stay over at a friend's place... Weiss... You know, I've talked about her before... Yup, the really cool one."

Ruby didn't  _have_  to say that, but she thought about how it would make Weiss feel good and that made the angel happy.

"Yeah I know. I'm sorry about what I did." She added, just so it wouldn't seem suspicious that she wasn't being scolded. "Yup! Uh huh... Yeah... Ok! Thanks mom. Love you."

Ruby ended the fake phone call and thought about the last time she  _actually_  said I love you to her mom. She was so little when her parents died, but she remembered hugging her tightly just before, the scent of roses infiltrating her nose.

"All good." Ruby beamed.

"Did you get in trouble?"

"Eh, a little. Gotta clean the dishes for two weeks."

That was one of the punishments Goodwitch implemented in the Orphanage.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it was  _my_  fault we got into that mess." Ruby said. "Now you should really sleep, Weiss."

"You should too." She replied, scooting over to make room for Ruby. "My bed is big enough."

"Are you sure?" Ruby said, fiddling with her hands. Why was she all of a sudden nervous? She wanted to keep Weiss safe and this was how. The other angels wouldn't get mad, would they?

"I'm not gonna make you sleep on the floor, Ruby." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. "Just get over here."

"Alright!" She agreed, clambering into the soft bed. She situated herself in the most comfortable position she could and looked over to Weiss. "You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah." Her charge answered with a smile. Her hand under the covers found Ruby's and squeezed it. "Yeah I will. Thank you."

"Y-yeah of course." Ruby said. Her face was doing that thing again, where it would get really hot around her cheeks? What  _was_  that? "Night, Weiss."

"Good night, Ruby."

She closed her eyes and slipped off into a deep slumber. Ruby didn't know exactly what to do though, she physically  _couldn't_  sleep. It wasn't possible. So she just had to lay there for hours, doing nothing.

The concept of sleep felt weird to Ruby after all these years. Just... resting and letting your subconscious take over? It was odd. Not being awake was just an alien concept at this point.

But she kind of wished she could. Weiss looked so peaceful, it looked nice. It was nice to see her so relaxed. She was stressed so much, Ruby was glad she was at least calm when she was asleep.

Somewhere along the night however, Weiss stirred in her sleep. That peaceful look started to turn more painful and disturbed. She was mumbling, her brow knitted together.

"Weiss." Ruby whispered. "It's ok, Weiss. You're ok."

Slowly, her face melted back to it's restful state. She didn't know why, but Ruby had the urge to caress Weiss' cheek. She stopped herself before she did, but she really wanted to.

That was very strange.

What was worse was that Weiss shifted again, except this time she wrapped an arm around Ruby, holding her tight. The warmth in her cheeks started to spread to the rest of her face. She hugged Weiss before, but this was sooo different. She was never in bed with the girl, she never was held like this by  _anyone_  before.

And it was... Nice.

When morning rolled around, Ruby told Weiss she should probably get back home before school. So she gave her a smile and prepared to climb down the drainpipe by Weiss' windows. Normally she would just fly down, but her charge was watching.

That and she wanted to give a plausible reason for how she could have gotten onto the roof with her.

While she was climbing out, Weiss placed a hand on hers. Ruby's silver eyes flicked to Weiss' sapphire ones. The angel never recalled seeing a warm blue, but there it was before her. Weiss just woke up, her ivory hair was a bit tangled, and sleep was still evident in her eyes. And yet, Ruby couldn't peel her eyes away.

Weiss had captivated her with a single touch, a single look.

"I'll see you at school, Ruby." Weiss said in a soft tone. She released Ruby's hand to let her climb down. "Please be safe."

"Don't worry, I will." Ruby told her. Her hanging off of the window like that, Weiss bidding her goodbye. It sounded like something out of Romeo and Juliet.

No, no it wasn't. They were friends. Just friends. Even if Ruby's face heated up every time Weiss was too close. Even if the way she smiled, so subtle and unique, made her feel all warm and fuzzy. Even if-

Oh.

Oh god.

**XxXxX**

A month passed since Weiss'... Ahem, little meltdown. She felt much better than before, but it didn't just go away. No, life wasn't simple like that. She had moments where life got too hard, where it was all so much, that didn't just stop. What did change was how Weiss reacted to this. She now reached out, asked or help.

It was painful and such a challenge for her, but it got easier each time she did it. Ruby was the easier one to go to.

The girl went above and beyond to help Weiss, she felt so lucky to have her. On her bad nights, she would call Ruby and spend an hour or two just talking. On her  _worse_  nights, Ruby would come over and spend the night. She took comfort in just having her near. She used to question why the girl made her so comfortable, but she didn't feel like it anymore. It was just a fact she had accepted.

Ruby was quite acrobatic apparently, how she managed to climb that drain pipe each time, Weiss had no idea. They didn't want to risk letting her father know that Ruby was there (at night, not during her study sessions) so she would sneak in. Most of the time she didn't even  _hear_  her climbing.

Silent and quick, Ruby was more like a ninja.

Well, except when she tripped and fell into the room... Which happened a lot.

Weiss snickered at the thought.

"What?" Blake asked. Her friend took a bite of her tuna sandwich and placed her book down. She must be pretty invested in that particular novel, Blake didn't risk eating and reading unless it was a good one.

"Oh, nothing." Weiss brushed her off. "What are you reading?"

"This really cool book called Bound By Shadows." Blake said, grinning from ear to ear. Weiss smiled at her friend's excitement, taking a sip from her milk.

"Oooh!" Ruby said, placing her tray at the table and sitting down. "That sounds super cool!"

"You can borrow it when I'm done." Blake offered. That was a rare sight to see, Blake letting others borrow her books. Her books were like her children. She protected them, held them close. Weiss liked to imagine that she gave them each a little kiss before she tucked them into the bookshelf.

She didn't know why she was surprised though, trusting Ruby was easy. If she could get as close as she did to Weiss, getting close to Blake wasn't that far out of the question.

"Hmm, maybe." Ruby answered. "What's it about?"

The pair talked for a while about the book and it's contents and Weiss watched. Blake was very adept at summarizing the plot of a book without giving away important parts or twists. Weiss supposed it came with years of practice. The redhead she was explaining it to was completely enamored by her spiel, hanging onto every word. Ruby had her chin propped up with her knuckles and spouted off a million questions when Blake had finished.

"You'll have to read and see! I'm not gonna give away the juicy bits."

"Juicy bits, eh?" Ruby said, wiggling her eyebrows. The heiress bit back her laughter, Blake's face turned  _bright_  red.

"What? No! This isn't  _that_  kind of book!" The avid reader defended.

"But you've read  _that_ kind of book before?" Weiss interjected. She took another sip of her milk. "Hmm, Belladonna?"

It shouldn't have been possible, but Blake's face somehow flushed even more.

"I-I... N-no, I haven't."

"Ha!" Ruby shouted, pointing an accusing finger. "You  _so_  have!"

"Sh-shut up!" Blake finally relented. This elicited a giggle fit from both Ruby  _and_  Weiss. "You two suck!"

"Aw, come on Blake." Ruby said, sliding over to put an arm around Blake's shoulder. And though it was merely a friendly gesture, Weiss felt another twinge of jealousy. "We looove you."

"Yes, we do." Weiss added, brushing aside her desires to be in Blake's position.

"I love you guys too." Blake said with a sigh.

"Well." Ruby announced, rising from her seat. "I gotta use the bathroom."

"We'll alert the media." The book worm cheekily replied, book in hand once again. Ruby stuck her tongue out and Blake matched her.

"I'll see you in class, Weiss."

"Yeah, see you there." The ivory-haired girl replied. She watched her bubbly friend practically skip away. She was just going to the bathroom and yet she still had a bounce in her step.

That girl always made her laugh.

"Alright, I think this has gone on long enough." Said Blake. For a moment, Weiss believed that she was just talking about something happening in her book. "Don't you think, Weiss?"

"Huh?" She asked, turning around. "I beg your pardon?"

"Come on, admit it?"

"Admit what?" Weiss asked.

What was she going on about?

"I have watched you two dance around each other for a couple months now." Blake said, setting her book down once again. "Just ask her out."

What?

WHAT?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Blake."

"Seriously? You're  _still_  denying it?"

"Denying what?"

"You and Ruby. The chemistry between you."

"We study chemistry together, if that's what you're asking."

"Weiss, you know it's not." Blake said, dead serious. "You. Like. Ruby."

"What? N-no! Ruby is just a f-friend of mine!" Weiss poorly defended.

But she was telling the truth! Ruby was  _honestly_ just a friend!

"That's bullshit and you know it." She called out. "You haven't seen the way you look at her, but I have. You... Linger. You are softer with her. You have been more affectionate as a result of being around her."

"I..." Weiss begin, but struggled to continue. "She's just-"

"She's not just a friend." Interrupted Blake. "Ok, I want you to do something for me. Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Weiss complied, shutting her eyelids. She sighed at Blake's antics. This was just ridiculous. She didn't have  _any_  deeper feelings for the girl.

"Now, think about Ruby. The first time you met, when you hug her, when she laughs. Just keep thinking about that."

Well, that was easy. Weiss found her mind drifting to Ruby often these days. In a very friendly, completely platonic way. Thinking about her smile, her giggles, how special she felt whenever she had that silver-eyed gaze upon her. How Ruby would hold her when she cried, how the girl had gotten Weiss to be more open about her feelings.

Yes, she thought about Ruby a LOT.

**Click!**

Weiss heard the shutter of Blake's camera phone and her eyes snapped open. A frown formed on her face from her friend's antics.

"Why did you take a picture of me?" The ivory-haired girl asked. She reached over to try and grab her phone. Blake shrank away to protect the picture, holding it away from Weiss while it loaded.

"I'm proving a point." Blake said. She then thrust the phone in Weiss' view. "See? You're smiling."

Indeed she was. This is what she looked like when she was thinking about Ruby? She looked so happy and peaceful. Well that did make sense, Ruby made her relax. The girl made her happy. Being around her made her happy, hugging her did too. Just seeing the girl, seeing her smile. Everything about Ruby just made her... Happy!

Oh.

"Shit." Weiss swore, the realization dawned on her. "I like her. I  _really_ like her."

"Yeah, I know." Blake said. She moved over to the seat next to Weiss and put a hand on her shoulder.

How could this happen? She didn't mean for it to happen. In fact, she was against having her as a friend, let alone a girlfriend.

Ruby as her girlfriend though, the thought made her cheeks flare up and sparked a giddiness in her. Stomach flips, head over heels, out of the park feelings; This was the only way Weiss could describe her current emotions.

"Do you think she knows?" Weiss asked, fear infiltrating her voice.

"I doubt it. You two have  _both_  been oblivious."

"So... Do you think she um... Feels the same way?" She asked. Nerves shot through her body. Did she  _really_  want the answer to that? What if Ruby didn't like her like that? What would she do then? God, why did she have to like someone! It just made things more challenging.

"Hmmm, I'm not completely sure... But I think you have a shot."

"Y-yeah?"

"Yeah." Blake confirmed with a laugh.

Weiss finished her meal very gleefully after hearing that. She had a shot with Ruby! She could be with Ruby.

She may be the heiress of a major energy company, but for the first time in a while, she felt like a million bucks.

**XxXxX**

Ruby left school that day a little concerned and confused. During lunch, the angels started talking to her. She excused herself from the table and went somewhere secure to talk with them, pulling out her phone just in case someone saw her.

They were warning her about getting close. They said that some of her actions were a bit concerning and asked if she knew that this was only a job.

If she were honest, most time she forgot she was on a case. She genuinely enjoyed Weiss' company and she hoped the heiress liked hers as well. Was there something wrong with that?

But it was only a job, she would leave Weiss as soon as she was done. The thought sat like a rock in the pit of her stomach. No more late night talks and sleepovers. No more subtle smiles and hugs.

No more seeing Weiss.

_The job isn't over yet, stop thinking about it._  Ruby chided herself. Yet the thoughts still persisted. She  _would_  have to leave Weiss eventually, and Ruby was certain that it  _would_  hurt.

Did Yang ever get attached to any of her charges? She wanted to ask her, but was afraid of the answer. That and what Yang would think of her.

Ruby was just  _trying_  to do her job! She didn't mean to get attached like this.

Oh man.

"Hey, little sis." Yang greeted as Ruby touched down on the clouds. Her silver-tipped wings folded in and vanished. "Welcome back."

"Hey Yang." Ruby answered. It was odd, she didn't seem to enjoy her time on the clouds as much as she did before. The longer she was away from earth, the more her heart seemed to ache.

Oh gosh, maybe they were right.

"You doing alright? You seem a bit off." Yang asked, concerned laced in her voice. Perceptive as ever, she hit the nail on the head.

"I'm alright, just a little... Jumbly?" The younger girl attempted to explain.

"Jumbly? Wumbly jumbly?" Yang clarified.

"Yeah." She answered back with a little laugh.

"Ah. It's the gig." The blonde angel said. "Being on earth for a while messes with you. Makes you want to live down there again."

Oh thank goodness. She wasn't going crazy! Other angels felt this way too, it was ok! It would aaaall be ok. As long as she didn't act on it! As long as she didn't try to stay on earth... With Weiss.

"Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what you said when we first died?"

"Um, I dunno. It's been a while." Yang said, sitting down on the clouds and leaning back. "Why?"

"You said that it wasn't fair." The younger sister answered. She also took a seat next to Yang and picked some clouds apart. Something wasn't as satisfying about it. She liked to imagine she was picking grass out of the ground. "Do you still think that?"

"Hmm, no." She answered honestly. "Maybe at first, but not after everything we went through. We got a second chance to help people, that's enough for me."

"But," Ruby protested, looking for something,  _anything_  to make her feel a little better about her desires. "Aren't you upset you never got... Um... Uh, nevermind."

"What?"

"It's dumb."

"Aw, come on, Rubes! You can tell me!"

"I mean I... I mean,  _you_  never got to um..." Ruby stammered. Why was this so hard to say? "Fall in love."

"Oh. Yeah, that." Yang said, nodding in understanding.

"Yeah...  _That_." Repeated Ruby.

"I guess... I don't think about it much." The blonde replied, looking off into the distance. "Just wasn't in my fate, and you can't change that too easily."

"Right. Yeah, you're right."

Yang was right all those years ago though. It wasn't fair, they died  _so_ young, they didn't get to experience it all. Although, living any longer in the great depression might have been rough, if they could even live at  _all_.

"Hey, you'll be fine, Ruby. This case will be over and you'll feel back to your normal self in no time!" Yang was trying to be reassuring, but did she really  _want_  to go back to what it was before? "Oh, by the way I  _did_  take a sneak peak at ya while you were working a while ago."

"Yaaaaang." Ruby moaned. "Come on! I gotta do this on my own!"

"I know, I know." Chuckled Yang. "But I wanted to make sure my baby sister was doing a good job."

Yang pinched her cheek, causing Ruby to frown and move away.

"Yaaaang, stooooop."

"Sorry! You're just so cute and squishy." Yang cooed at her sister. "I did have a note for you."

"O-oh?" Ruby asked. As much as she wanted Yang to let her do her thing, she valued her opinion.  _Especially_  on these field cases. So if her sister could give her some valuable advice, she was eager to hear it.

"Something I told you to do a while ago?" Yang sang.

"Huh?"

"The angelic charm? You  _gotta_ lower it, Ruby." She advised. "That Schnee girl is falling head over heels for you and it will only get worse if you keep it going."

"Falling? For me?" Ruby asked.

"Oh yeah! Hard!" She said. The blonde angel rose from her seated position and began to walk away, but she called back to Ruby as she left. "I wouldn't worry about it, just turn it off and she'll be over it within a few days!"

"Right." Ruby answered, turning pale. She was glad her sister didn't look back to see her, cause she would see the panic in her face.

What she  _didn't_  tell her was that she turned her angelic charm off after the second day. That she hadn't even  _touched_  it since, hadn't raised it in the least. It had remained at zero all this time, Weiss had just... Genuinely fallen for her.

And Ruby began to think.

"Have I fallen for  _her_?" Ruby whispered to herself.


	9. Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking the right gift can always be so tricky. They say that it's the thought that counts.
> 
> But if you give the wrong gift...
> 
> Bonds can be broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! Blue here! So this chapter is.... Something..... I hope you enjoy it (as much as you can ha ha). Lemme know what you think. Enjoy the Roses.

"I  _still_  can't believe I passed that English exam!" Ruby exclaimed, holding her test in front of her while the trio walked. A solid eighty; It wasn't as good as what Weiss received, but she held herself to a much higher standard.

"It's well earned, good job Ruby." Weiss easily complimented. Ruby looked to her in slight surprise and then averted her gaze, shyly.

"Thanks Weiss."

"Wow, you really turned her around, didn't you Weiss?" Blake commented. "Didn't you get a sixty-three a couple months ago?"

"Yup! Weiss is a really good teacher!" Ruby complimented and Weiss' cheeks flared up, right on cue.

"I'm a tutor, not a teacher." She corrected, clearing her throat to dispel any butterflies from the previous statement. "But I have a really good pupil."

"Thanks." Ruby answered softly. Weiss heard Blake chuckle next to her and internally  _begged_  her not to tease them. Two months ago, Weiss finally admitted that she had feelings for Ruby to Blake, and Blake had been non-stop pushing her to confess to Ruby. When Ruby was in the room, Blake would tease them, mention how close they were and do  _anything_  to get the pair to get closer.

It was a real nuisance, red might have looked good on the heiress, but she didn't want the color splashed on her cheeks every five minutes.

"Hey, you guys free tomorrow after school?" Blake asked, luckily choosing not to pick on them... This time. "I figure since it's Friday we could stay out a bit. Maybe get some ice cream or something?"

Oh good, she didn't go for the obvious line about-

"You seemed to like Weiss' flavor that one time we went, didn't you Ruby?" Blake said in a sing-song voice.

Dammit.

"Yeah, it was good!" Ruby exclaimed, but her face turned to a frown. "But I can't. I won't even be in class tomorrow."

"What?" Weiss asked, a bit surprised. "Why not?"

"I've got a family thing." Ruby said nonchalantly. "Nothing bad, just might take a while."

"Oh, alright." She said, a little disappointed.

It was official, Friday would probably suck.

"But we're still on for our study session on Saturday, right?" The younger girl asked hopefully.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Good!" Responded Ruby, walking backwards to the exit. She really should have been watching where she was going though. "Cause I may have gotten an eighty, but I think I can do better! Just you-"

"Ruby, look out!" Weiss chided. She didn't see the other student walking behind her and bumped right into him.

"Oof, I'm sorry! Sorry." She told him, backing up and stumbling a bit.

"It's cool." He calmly said, walking on his way. Ruby chuckled nervously and left with a wave of her hand.

"What a klutz." Weiss commented.

" _Your_  klutz." Blake teased, elbowing her ribs.

"She's not  _my_  klutz."

"Yet."

"Uuuuuuugh."

"You are so hopeless, Weiss."

"I know, I know." She moaned. No real progress had been made regarding her feelings. She only managed to fall deeper and deeper for the red-head. How was that even possible? How could she fall for her more and more each day? How did the girl always manage to surprise her?

"She doesn't really talk about her family much. Do you know what's going on?" Blake asked.

"No idea." Weiss answered. That was another issue. Once the heiress was able to sort her life out a little more, she realized that she didn't know as much about Ruby as she thought. She never talked about her family (only that they are ok with her having sleepovers and she had to do the dishes for a while when they skipped class). Her family couldn't be as bad as hers, right?

She kind of wanted to meet them. Weiss hoped that they might like her.

"Worried?"

"A little." The ivory-haired girl admitted. "I'm sure it will be alright, though. Ruby is capable."

"You would know."

She blushed. It wasn't a secret that the pair spent a lot of time together. The three of them often hung out, this was true, but she  _definitely_  saw Ruby more. The heiress wished she hadn't blabbed to her about their little sleepovers. Blake was absolutely  _relentless_  after that. 'It's just like a romance novel' she would say with a swoon.

She was  _sooo_  happy she was providing this entertainment to her best friend.

Ecstatic.

"You know, I have a solution for you." The raven-haired girl announced. "It would solve all your problems."

"Oh?" Scoffed the heiress. "And what would that be?"

"Uh, talk to her? Tell her how you feel!"

"What?"

"Oh my god, just do it already." Blake yelled, completely done. "It's been two months since you realized you like her and you've  _actually_  liked her even longer than that."

"It's not that simple, Blake!" Weiss bemoaned. "What if she says no?"

"Then you move on, she'll still be your friend."

"What if she doesn't? What if she looks at me like... Like I grew a second head!"

"She won't!" Blake laughed at her friend's fears. "Chances are she likes you too!"

"Y-you really think so?" Weiss asked.

"It certainly  _seems_  so."

"Oh."

Maybe Weiss didn't have so much to worry about. Ruby was very sweet, even if she rejected her, she would stay by her side. Right?

But it would be painful, the heiress never felt this way about  _anyone_  before. She was stronger now, though. She wasn't the same, Weiss had so much more confidence than she did before. She was happier, felt loved, and was actually starting to imagine a bright future for herself.

Unfortunately, she kept envisioning Ruby in that future. A future where Ruby didn't have to climb up a pipe to see her, because they would live together. They would share a life together. She imagined a future where she came home from work and Ruby was right there at the door, ready to give her a hug.

A future where they could kiss.

Perhaps she  _could_  have that. If Blake could see that Ruby might like her, then there was hope for her yet.

"Alright. I'm gonna tell her how I feel!" Weiss resolved.

"Yeah!" Blake cheered. "Saturday."

The confidence from before dropped like a brick, weighing her down.

"Saturday? Th-that's so soon!" She exclaimed. "I'm not ready!"

"Yes you are! You gotta rip it off like a band-aid."

"You  _rip_  your band-aids off?" Weiss asked, appalled.

"Yes?"

"That's absurd."

"What do you do?" The bemused book worm asked.

"Well you slowly peel it."

"That hurts more!" She laughed.

"It's the proper way!" Weiss shouted.

"Look! What I'm trying to say is that you should get it over and done with. While you still have the gumption."

"You...  _May_ have a point."

"Of course I do. I'm the only one thinking logically of the three of us." Blake commented with a smug smirk.

"Hey!" She defended. Blake was right, but it was still a low blow. "If you are so level-headed,  _you_  ask her out for me."

"Nooope."

"But... Blaaake."

"Nope."

"Did you pick that up from Ruby?"

"Yup." Blake snickered, popping her 'p'.

"Fine, fine." Weiss relented. "I'll talk to her."

"There we go." The wing-man (wing-woman?) said. "And who said you need words? Just kiss her and she'll know."

"Blake!"

"'Mmm, Ruby'" Blake moaned, making kissing noises.

"Enough!" Ordered the heiress. She needed Blake to stop this before she invented a new shade of red that they would call 'Weiss' cheeks'. "I'll do it."

"Saturday?"

Weiss took a deep breath.

It would be ok, no matter what happened, it would be alright.

"Saturday."

**XxXxX**

"Hello Ruby." An angelic counsel member greeted. She walked into the room made of puffy white clouds, fidgeting with her hands. "Please, step forward."

They sounded kind? But then again, there could be a storm waiting just behind it. Yesterday during her second period class, the angels gave her a message. They told her that she would not be helping her charge the next day, that she was to report up above for an important meeting.

She had done field work in the past, she  _never_  got called for a meeting before.

"H-hello!" Ruby softly greeted. The seven counsel members each nodded, smiles gracing their faces. They were smiling. That was good. Smiling was good, right? Yet, even though they were smiling, their wings were unfurled and standing at attention. Like all angels, the tips of their feathers matched their eyes.

"Please show your wings." They requested, but Ruby knew it was an order. Immediately, her silver tipped wing burst from her back, fluttering with nerves.

"Am... Am I in trouble?" She asked before she could stop herself. The middle angel, a man with mint green eyes chuckled.

"No Ruby, you're not." He told her. "We merely wanted to discuss the status of your case in person."

"Oh!" She sighed. "It's going great! Weiss is so much happier now! She reaches out, has started taking fencing lessons again,  _and_  she has even attempted to make new friends."

Ruby was very proud of her charge. Over this time, she had really come out of her comfort zone. How she acted before was so different that they seemed like two different people entirely.

Though she liked the old Weiss too.

Any Weiss was great in her book.

"That is very good to hear." The angel with pink eyes told Ruby. "Well done, Ruby."

"Thank you!"

"You did a good job. But you've been there for a while." She added. "So you should probably say goodbye. If she doesn't respond well wipe yourself from her memory."

Her heart stopped. Or it would have, if she was mortal. A hot flash of fear spread through her body and she shivered as it ran down her spine.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You completed the mission. Weiss Schnee is now on her correct path."

"N-no, she isn't there yet!" Ruby exclaimed. "She is still unstable. A change in her environment could cause another meltdown!"

"I highly doubt that." Scoffed the angel to the far left. She had deep blue eyes and a scowl. "She has proven time and time again that she can handle it."

"Because  _I_  was there!" Ruby admitted, jabbing a finger to her own chest.

"So you're saying she has an attachment to you?"

"N-no!"

"But she needs you?"

"Yes!"

"That  _sounds_  like an attachment. A brain wipe would fix that. Leave only happy memories behind."

Where these angels CRAZY? Weiss needed her.  _Her_. Ruby Rose. Weiss needed her angel to protect her and care for her. If she didn't, who else would?

Probably Blake.

And Klein.

And Weiss  _was_  making new friends...

The more she thought about it, the more it was clear that they  _did_  have a point. The heiress was better, she could function just fine on her own. And she  _had_  support now.

Ruby Rose wasn't necessary in the equation anymore.

Still, she  _wanted_  to be part of it. Of that equation. She wanted to solve the problem that was Weiss Schnee. She wanted to be the answer to the formula.

"I need more time. Just give me a week and we can... reconvene at another... Juncture?"

The other angels looked to each other and mumbled something underneath their breaths. As soon as they were done conferring, they turned back to the younger angel.

"Very well." The mint green counsel member agreed. "You are granted a week. We will re-evaluate this case then."

Ruby almost expected to hear a gavel bang, but the other angels simply flew off through the clouds.

A week. One week to come up with a viable reason to stay with Weiss. But the more she thought about it, the only reason was the girl herself. She needed to stay because Weiss was there. She didn't  _need_  Ruby anymore. She didn't need her guardian angel.

But this angel needed her.

**XxXxX**

While Ruby was scribbling something down on her piece of paper, her tongue sticking out in thought, Weiss rubbed her hands on her skirt for what felt like the thirtieth time that day. It was probably more like tenth, but if felt like more. Her hands were so sweaty from nerves.

She had told Blake she would tell Ruby how she felt today. She felt good about it the day before, even an hour before she came over. But as soon as she saw Ruby with her cute red hoodie and her adorable smile, Weiss was slush. Mushy, melted, malleable ice that could be moved where ever the red-head so desired.

"I think I got it right." Ruby announced, pushing the sheet over to her tutor. Weiss looked over her work and smiled.

"Perfect!"

"Yes!" She said, pumping her fist. "I'm getting better."

"You are, I'm so proud of you."

"Heh, thanks." Said the younger girl. Her cheeks took on the same shade as her jacket, a crimson hue. Did Ruby get this flustered before, was just now noticing, or was this new? Weiss didn't know. But she  _did_  know that red really did suit the girl.

"Why don't we take a break now." Weiss suggested. "Talk a little."

"Yeah, sure!" She eagerly complied, setting down her pencil. "How was class yesterday?"

"It was ok, a little boring without you around. How was yours? Is everything alright with your family?"

"Ah, don't worry about that." Ruby said, brushing It aside with a swipe of her hand. "What about you though, it couldn't be  _that_  boring, Blake was there! And weren't you talking with that other kid, Flynt?" Ruby said, looking away from Weiss. "He seems nice."

"Oh, yes he is I guess."

"Cute too."

"You think he's cute?" Weiss asked. She did her best to keep the fear from infiltrating her voice.

"Uh, aesthetically."

"Nice vocabulary." Weiss complimented, releasing the breath she was holding.

"Thanks." Giggled the girl in the hoodie. "Do  _you_  think he's cute?"

"Aesthetically." Answered the heiress with a smirk. "Not really my type."

"Weiss!" Ruby gasped, sarcasm already  _oozing_  from her voice. "Are you saying that  _you_  are picky?"

"Oh, hush you." She chided. "Excuse me for having a discerning palette."

"It's not an excuse if no one is on the palate, Weiss."

"Perhaps there is."

"Huh?"

"Maybe someone  _is_  on the palate?" Weiss tried to answer, but it came out as more of a question.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

This was it.

Her moment.

She could tell Ruby how she  _really_  felt. It was perfect! She couldn't ask for a better moment to confess her feelings to the girl. All she had to say was 'you are on my palate'.

'You are on my palate'.

'You are..'

"Erm," Weiss cleared her throat. Her voice cracked in the middle. "You know, I think we should probably go over question number nine again."

Aaaand she blew it.

"Yeah, sure." Ruby said, not convinced. But then she popped up in excitement. "Oh! But first, I have something for you!"

"Y-you do?"

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "Now clooose your eeeeeeyes and hold out your hands."

The heiress chuckled at her sing song voice and did as she was told. Her heart was pounding so fast though. What did Ruby do for her? She didn't have to do anything. Just being here was enough for the ivory-haired girl, she didn't need any more.

She heard Ruby fumbling with something in her backpack. An object was placed in her hands a moment later. Blindly, she felt it with her hands. It seemed to be in multiple pieces and made of wood.

"Ok! Open them!"

When she did, she saw a set of beautifully carved wooden roses, painted a deep crimson. The amount of detail that was put into this, from the whittling to the paint job, was absolutely astounding. Ruby plucked the string in the middle and pulled it up. Each rose piece grew larger the more it went down the string.

"I made it in shop class!" Ruby explained. "It's supposed to be a garden decoration, but it can be hung up inside too."

"Ruby." Weiss said, breathless. "This is gorgeous."

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you want to give this to  _me_?" She asked, grabbing the string and lifting it up to observe it for herself.

"I don't need it." She said. "And besides, I think roses suit you."

Ooooh how right she was. Roses  _did_  suit her.

And the Rose she wanted the most was  _Ruby_  Rose.

"I have something for you too." Weiss told her, setting down the gift on the table before her.

"Really? Weiss I don't need anything re-"

"Close your eyes."

"But you don't have to do-"

"Cloooose your Eeeeyes." She sang.

"Weiss, I-"

"Close your eyes, dolt!" She had to assert.

This time, Ruby did close her eyes. Great! Now she could give her something.

Wait... She didn't have anything for Ruby!

Oh god, this day was a disaster. First she couldn't confess when she had the perfect chance to, then she promised Ruby a gift when she had nothing! Ugh, she couldn't do this romance stuff.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked through closed eyes.

Panicking, she was really panicking now! What was she supposed to do? What could she give Ruby?

"Yes! I've... Got your..." Weiss drifted off, her gaze was shifting. What was once transfixed on her closed eyes, now drifted to Ruby's soft lips. It lingered there, beckoning more the longer she stared. "Gift."

Blake  _did_  say this was one way to get her feelings across.

Weiss took a deep breath.

And then another one.

And then she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to Ruby's. It was short and it was sloppy, but it was wonderful. She savored it, how  _right_  it felt to kiss Ruby. It was amazing!

For a second.

And then they both opened their eyes.

Ruby leaned back far in her chair, her breathing heavy and her eyes wide. She looked so... scared.

"Um... Ruby?" Weiss managed to ask. But Ruby said nothing. She was just staring at Weiss in fear. Utter  _fear_. Her anxieties weren't that far off base. The girl wasn't looking at her like she grew one extra head, but rather two of them.

Oh god this was a mistake.

"I-I sh-should probably be going."

"Wh-what?" Weiss said, tears starting to fill her eyes. "No please don't go. I-I'm sorry."

"It's ok... Um... It's fine I... need to go." Ruby said, touching her lips. She finally tore her gaze away from her, the girl who had just kissed her, and rapidly packed up her things. "I'll see you Monday."

"Ruby." She cried, her voice cracked with emotion on that one. Once again she had her attention, her stare. It wasn't warm like it usually was.

It was just...  _Full_  of terror.

And  _she_  caused that. Her selfish whims caused that fear. Of course she didn't like her like that, why did she have to kiss her? God she felt so  _stupid_.

"I..." Ruby's breathing only increased. "I have to go."

"I can walk you out." Weiss offered in a desperate plea.

"It's fine, I know the way." She answered all too quickly. "Goodbye, Weiss."

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted. She ran over and grabbed the girl's hand before she could completely walk out of her door. "Ruby, I... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

_Lies._

"I... didn't mean to..."

_More lies._

"It was..."

_Stop lying! Be honest!_

"I... I like you, Ruby. I've liked you for a long time. I sh-should have told you earlier but I was... Scared." Weiss blubbered, tears running down her face. "Scared things would change... That  _this_  would change."

Ruby didn't say anything, her face was turned away from her.

"But we can just forget this happened. Forget it all!" She suggested hopefully. "I just want you in my life. Even i-if it's just as a friend... I-I'm sorry."

She hoped that Ruby would turn around and hug her. Hold her like she had done many times before. She hoped that she would pet her hair and say it would be alright. She expected it at this point.

But, like she usually did, Ruby defied her expectations.

Just not in her favor this time.

Ruby slipped her hand away and readjusted her backpack on her shoulders. She never looked back, just kept walking.

"Goodbye, Weiss."

The door shut and Weiss crumbled to the floor.

What had she just done?

**XxXxX**

"What did I just do?" Ruby cried to herself. Her body was lit up with fear, her nerves sent shocks throughout her body in pulses.

No...

No no no.

Dammit.

No this was not good.

Ruby dashed through the streets, holding onto the straps of her backpack. She had to get as  _far_  away as she could. Maybe they weren't watching. Maybe they took a break. Maybe they didn't see the kiss.

They kissed.

Weiss kissed her.

The angel lifted her left hand to her lips. She still felt the pair of thin lips against hers. It was only a second, one  _heavenly_ second. But when it was over, the implications of what happened set in.

She couldn't fall for her charge. She just  _couldn't_. It broke so many rules, too many. And if her charge fell for her? Reassignment and memory wipes.

Ruby didn't want Weiss to forget her. She was certain it would just rip her apart. Could you imagine, someone you care about dearly just... Forgetting you? It would be hell. A hell Ruby would have to live through.

They weren't talking to her, maybe she was in the clear.

" _Ruby Rose."_  A voice sounded in her head.

No.

_No._

"Yes?" Ruby answered softly.

'Go away.' the angel desired to growl.

" _It has gotten out of hand. This mission is officially over, your extension is revoked."_  The voice coldly informed. " _You will go to her on Monday and proceed to close this case."_

'No! I'm not done.' She wanted to shout.

It was over. After months of being by Weiss' side, it was over. The irony was that Weiss wasn't the only one who changed over the course of this case. The old Ruby would have jumped for joy upon hearing this news. She would have gleefully gone back to her favorite job, invisible guardian position.

She was not the same Ruby.

'She still needs me!' Ruby wished she could scream to the heavens.

But Ruby knew better, even if it felt like worse.

"Understood." Ruby replied. When she felt their gaze shift away, she allowed the grief to overtake her. She fell to her knees and openly sobbed. She didn't even bother to turn invisible, she just sat on the ground and wept.

This was not a happy end.

It was over.

It was all over.

Weiss would be ok, she could just forget Ruby ever existed in the first place.

But Ruby?

Ruby would remember for the rest of her existence.


	10. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say that time heals all wounds. 
> 
> But... Weiss has never been a patient person and Ruby doesn't have much time at all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Blue again. I'm so so sorry this is a week late. Life got a little busy and I dint get the chance to edit this chapter till now. I'm sorry for leaving you on a bad note for so long... Buuuut... There may not be resolution in this chapter. Regardless, I hope you like it. Thanks for the support. Enjoy the Roses!

This was turning out to be a wonderful Saturday for Blake. Her parents surprised her with the next installment of one of her favorite book series and she had been reading all day. It was a hefty book, but she had no doubt that she would be able to finish it within twenty-four hours.

The plot was too gripping, put it down was nigh impossible.

Besides that, she knew that her two friends would be veeeery happy soon. Weiss was finally,  _finally_  heeding her advice. Unless she wasn't, in that case she would have to dial up the teasing. Get one of them to act.

It was so obvious they liked each other, she could tell from the moment the pair shared that ice cream cone. Blake would have thought that Ruby would be the one to ask Weiss out first, but this would be good for the heiress. She needed to take more chances and be a little more... Bold.

The raven-haired girl could see it now. Monday would roll around, she would walk into school and see Ruby and Weiss, holding hands as they walked down the hall.

Blake had to shake her head at the thought, it was so cute that it was distracting her from her actual book. Couldn't be helped though, She was always a hopeless romantic.

**From Shaaaaaaaadooows...**

The bookworm's phone went off, playing her favorite song of all time (she swore to herself that she would never change it).

The phone read 'Weiss Schnee'.

Ah, so she did it. She was grateful for the call, but she just wanted to get back into her book. Hopefully she could just give a quick congratulations and be done with it. She loved Weiss, but she needed her reading time.

"Hey Weeeeiss." Blake teased. "Did you ask her out?"

" _Um_." She said, her voice hoarse and shaky. " _Can you come over?_ "

She didn't sound right.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked. She set down her book and sat upright in her bed. "What happened?"

" _Can... Can you just come over?_ " Weiss pleaded. " _Please._ "

"Yeah." She told her friend. "Yeah, I'll be right over."

" _Thank you._ " She said. She then hung up.

What happened? It was a sure thing! Ruby liked Weiss, Weiss liked Ruby. It should have been simple! How did it get messed up  _so_  bad that it made Weiss sound like  _that_?

Her book would have to wait, this was more important.

Blake told her parents were she was going and then she headed off to the Schnee manor. It wasn't a particularly long walk but it was becoming a little more difficult with the changing weather. The late Autumn air bit her face as she crunched through leaves to get to Weiss. Arriving at the house, she rang the doorbell and was not surprised to see her butler, Klein, open the door.

"Oh! Miss Belladonna! This is a surprise." He said with wide and gentle eyes.

"You can just call me Blake, Klein." She chuckled. "And Weiss asked me to come over. May I come in?"

"Yes of course!" Klein said, stepping to the side to let Blake in. "I can still see why Weiss likes you. You have such nice manners, Blake."

"Thank you, Klein."

"Do you need me to lead you to her room?"

"No, I think I know the way. But thank you."

"Ah, before you go, you should know what just... Happened here."

Blake stopped in her tracks and turned back to the kind butler.

"What happened?" Blake inquired.

"I don't know exactly, but her friend, Miss Rose, ran out of her room and out the door."

"Ran?"

"Like a speeding bullet, ma'am." He confirmed. "I wanted to give Weiss her privacy, but I heard her... Crying."

What  _happened_?

"That's very odd." Blake commented.

"I'm surprised, Weiss really seemed to like her." Klein sighed. "You understand what I'm saying."

"I'm just as shocked as you, Klein." She agreed. "I'll go figure out what's going on."

"Thank you." He said.

Blake nodded and made her way up the stairs to Weiss' room. When she arrived, she had the immediate urge to burst in the door to see her. However, she knew that would do no good whatsoever, so she decided to knock instead.

"Weiss? It's me, Blake." She announced.

"... Come in." She heard a small voice call out after a moment of silence. The raven-haired girl did as she was told and entered her room. Weiss was curled up in a ball next to her bed. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and she had pulled her hair out of its usual high ponytail.

"I... Got my point across." The crying girl said.

"Oh, Weiss." Whispered Blake. She cut the distance between them and got down on her knees to hug Weiss. The broken girl hugged her the best she could, but the affection just made her cry even harder. "Tell me what happened."

"I messed up Blake! I messed up so  _so_  bad." She sobbed. The raven-haired girl pulled back to get a closer look.

"Weiss, I know this is hard, but I need you to explain to me  _exactly_  what went down."

The girl wound up blubbering about everything that happened. Her first failed attempt, she appreciated the witty line that Weiss wanted to use. It would have been very cute...

Then there was the wooden rose. Blake's eyes widen at that. She saw Ruby work on that, the younger girl put her heart and soul into that rose. It must have meant a lot to give it to Weiss.

And yet, here Weiss was.

On the floor.

Crying.

Then Weiss told her about the kiss.

And the terror in Ruby's eyes.

Did Weiss simply make the fear up? Were her anxieties making her think that? She got her answer when she told Blake of her confession. Her confession that was met with coldness.

That wasn't very Ruby-like.

"I-I told you." Weiss said, her voice rough and raw.

"Told me what?"

"She would look at me like I had two heads."

"You know, Weiss," Blake started, humor infiltrating her voice. "That last piece of advice  _was_  just a joke, I didn't mean for you to take it literally."

"Oh, NOW you tell me." Weiss complained, but found herself laughing instead of crying this time.

"NOW you choose to listen?" She teased back.

Weiss laughed even more at this and Blake got wrapped up in it too. It was much better than crying, so she was thankful it would relieve her friend of that pain. Even if only for a couple minutes.

"She hates me, Blake."

"No she doesn't."

"You didn't see the way she looked at me. She was  _scared_  of me." Weiss said, her tears resuming.

"That's just so... Odd."

"Is it?" She asked hopelessly. "I kissed her. I made her  _so_  uncomfortable she had to  _leave_."

"Maybe she just needs time to process." She said with a shrug. "Things will be better on Monday."

"Or they could be worse."

"Hey, there can only be one cynic in our group, and I called that  _years_  ago."

"On the contrary, I have been reigning champ for a while." Weiss admitted with a pitiful laugh.

The raven-haired girl's shoulders slumped at that and she sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry." Blake said. She draped her arm around Weiss' shoulder and pulled her in closer. "I know you usually cried to Ruby, I know I'm not her. But just pretend I am."

"Blake," She sniffed, looking over to said girl. "You're close to me too."

"I know I am, but it's different with Ruby." She replied. "So I'll be that, I'll be whatever you need right now. You can cry, scream, whatever. I'm here for you."

The ivory-haired girl shuddered before a fresh set of tears fell down her face.

"Blake?" Weiss whimpered.

"Yeah?"

"I think I love her." She said. After that, the sobs came back in full force. Blake held the girl and let her cry as much as she needed to. It was a bit jarring, she hadn't seen Weiss cry openly in  _years_. It was a good sign that she was able to do this, but under very unfortunate circumstances.

"I know, Weiss."

**XxXxX**

Weiss managed to get herself to stop crying after a couple hours of Blake holding her. She was thankful that the girl stopped talking and held her. She didn't think she would be able to handle another hope-filled speech.

It wasn't ok, nothing about this was  _ok_. She didn't want Blake to lie to her.

The raven-haired girl offered to stay over, just in case she needed her, but Weiss turned her down. She had already been such a bother to Blake, taking her away from her (no doubt) relaxing Saturday.

Weiss would be... Alright. She would cry, she knew  _that_ much.

Yet, the words that Ruby said rang in her head. 'Just beyond the horizon, there is change. There's good things, new friends, the love of your life could be just beyond that horizon.'

The last part felt like a knife in her heart, but she tried to push it aside and remind herself of the other kind words.

There was good beyond the horizon, even if she couldn't see it.

Even if Ruby wasn't there to see it with her.

Sunday was a struggle, but she pulled herself out of bed and tried to keep herself active. If she wasn't busy, she would think. And if she was thinking, her mind would drift to Ruby. And if it drifted to Ruby, she would cry. Of course this didn't always work, but she made certain she was in her room before she continued her weeping.

And then, after what felt like an eternity, Monday rolled around. The ivory-haired girl didn't quite know what to expect. Part of her hoped that Ruby would act like nothing happened. It would be much easier that way.

Although, another part hoped she had time to think it all over. That she realized she too had feelings for Weiss and she was just surprised. Weiss imagined her taking her aside and hugging her, nuzzling her neck affectionately. She imagined that they would pull apart for a moment, and then  _really_  kiss.

Of course this was only in her head, only in her dreams.

And she doubted this dream would even become reality.

She went through the motions of her first class. It was the only class she didn't share with Ruby. There was a time when she relished that one class, she relished being away from the bubbly girl.

Now she regretted that. If she could, Weiss wished she could slap her past self and tell her to wake up.

The bell rang, ending her first class and Weiss practically sprinted out of the room. She sped away to her next class and sat down. She wanted time to mentally prepare herself. When Ruby entered the room, she would give her a sweet smile and ask how her weekend was. She would  _try_ and act like nothing happened.

But the second bell rang.

Ruby didn't come to class.

Or the next one.

Or the  _next_  one.

Then it was lunchtime. Still no Ruby.

Weiss decided to forgo getting food, her nerves soured her appetite. Besides she wanted to be there when Ruby showed up.

_If_  she showed up.

"Weiss?" A voice asked. The heiress shot her head up, hoping to see Ruby. But it was only Blake. She had a tray in her hands and looked very concerned. "Can I sit down here, or do you want to be alone."

Weiss spent  _years_  alone and it made her miserable, she didn't want to deny herself the company any longer than she had to. Shaking her head, Weiss attempted a smile. It was weak though, she could tell.

"No, please stay." She told Blake. The bookworm took her seat next to Weiss. At least she still had Blake. She always had Blake, and she was so grateful for that.

"How are you feeling?" Blake asked.

"Better, I think."

"Good, that's really good." She said, her eyes fixed on Weiss. "Have you talked with her yet?"

"She hasn't come to any classes. I don't know where she is."

"Oh, skipped class?"

"I... I don't know." Admitted Weiss. "I'm beginning to think that I don't really know her well at all, Blake. I'm just as clueless as you. Maybe even more so, at least you are quite perceptive."

"Come on, Weiss." Blake chided. "You know that's not true."

"Do I?" She raised her voice. "I don't know about her family, her favorite book, her favorite food. I don't even know if she  _does_  eat!"

"Woah, Weiss. Calm down a bit."

Apparently the ivory-haired girl's shouting garnered some attention. The tables around them, and even some further away, had their eyes on her. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to care. Oh wow, a Schnee showing emotions, big deal. She could do what she wanted, she was human too.

What she really cared about was talking to Ruby, trying to straighten everything out.

And as if the universe read her mind, she saw her.

Ruby.

Standing by the doors of the lunch room. She leveled Weiss with a gaze that said 'come here, we need to talk'.

She wasn't in her uniform though, opting to wear her usual red hoodie with blue jeans and a white tank top that had a wolf design on it. She smiled, but it wasn't full. There was apprehension there and... Sadness.

Sadness that Weiss caused.

The heiress took a breath and walked over to Ruby without saying a word.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby said, her tone soft and cautious. "I need to tell you something."

There she was, the girl she had fallen so hard for. She was so happy to just be in Ruby's presence, but she had a feeling this talk wouldn't go well.

She had a feeling that Ruby would break her already fractured heart.

"Alright." Weiss whispered. Ruby lead her out of the lunchroom and into the empty hallway. Ruby leaned against the wall on one side, Weiss stood by the other.

She was right there and yet she felt so far from her.

"Sorry I freaked out and ran back there." She said with a nervous chuckle.

"I apologize for my actions, they were very inappropriate." Weiss answered, slipping back into the way she used to speak to her. Ruby cocked her head at that, she had clearly noticed.

"It's ok. Um, It's fine."

"Regardless, that was unfair of me. I should have asked for permission before I... Before  _that_ happened."

Why was she acting like this? She was shutting down, shutting Ruby out. What good would  _that_  do?

"Why are you talking like that?" Ruby questioned, as if she could read Weiss' mind.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Like that!" Ruby exclaimed. "L-like we aren't... Aren't friends."

"I... Assumed you would be upset with me and would need... A break."

"I..." Ruby looked pained at her statement. God she wanted to cross the halls width and pull her into a tight hug. To capture roses and joy in her arms. But she feared what Ruby would think of that.

Nothing was the same.

Nothing would ever be the same, she saw that now.

"Was that all you wished to talk to me about?"

"No..." She whispered.

"Then what?" She snipped, a cold edge of defense inching its way into her voice.

Now she  _really_  wished she could slap herself.

"I'm... Leaving."

Everything went cold.

"Wh-what?" Weiss gulped.

She couldn't be serious. She couldn't be leaving.

"I'm leaving Atlas, Weiss." She repeated. "My family and I, we have to go back to Vale."

This felt like a surreal dream.

No. that would imply that Weiss somewhat enjoyed it. This was a nightmare, utter hell.

"Oh." Was all she could say.

"They brought it up Friday, but confirmed it yesterday."

"Oh."

"I wanted you to know."

"... Oh."

She was frozen in place, couldn't move an inch. This had to be her fault, right? No, it was her family.

But what if she asked about her family more, tried to see what was going on with her. She was so wrapped up in her own issues that she didn't even  _think_  that maybe bad things were happening to Ruby too.

Did she use their sleepovers as an escape from her own family? Was it bad? All this time she could have been helping Ruby and she wasted it. She could have helped more. She could have tried to be a better friend.

And now it was too late.

"I... Think it would be best if you didn't try and call me anymore."

The words plunged into her heart like a knife. Not only was Ruby moving away, but she didn't even want to  _hear_  from her.

"Ok." Weiss softly replied, not even bothering to look Ruby in the eye. She knew if she saw those warm silver eyes looking at her coldly, she would lose it. She would bawl in the hall.

"I have to go now." Ruby announced. "Goodbye, Weiss."

"Goodbye." She repeated. She didn't have any fight left in her. It was just gone.

She heard Ruby walk away, out the door, leaving Weiss behind.

Leaving  _Weiss_.

People had left her before, but this had to be the most painful. Ruby tore out her heart, the heart that she herself had thawed. She didn't want it anyways, the plan was to give it to the redhead in the first place.

Or maybe she already had.

Now that she thought about it, she gave Ruby her heart long ago. Back when she first saw those silver eyes. Eyes that felt like home.

_What are you doing?_  A voice from within her screamed.  _You're letting her walk away!_

She has to go.

_No! You go talk to her! Make this right._  The voice commanded.

But... There's  _no_  way she'll talk to Weiss after everything that-

_You will never know if you don't try._ Said the voice.  _And if you don't try, you'll always regret it._

But-

_Weiss._

The voice was right. She had gone through  _too_  much with Ruby to just leave it at this. She needed to talk with her again. Sort this out.

Weiss Schnee burst through the doors and looked around, trying to find Ruby. She then heard her voice, talking to someone. Probably calling her parents. She was about to round the corner when she saw her.

But... Ruby didn't have her phone out, the red-head seemed to be just talking to herself. She didn't know why, but Weiss ducked around the corner, keeping herself hidden from Ruby's view.

"Yes, it's done." Ruby said, a serious edge in her voice. "I told her."

Her.

Was she talking about... Weiss?

"I guess." Ruby sighed. She slumped her shoulders and glanced back to the school, sadness and pain in her silver gaze. "Doesn't feel right..."

Ruby jumped, looking very fearful.

"No! No she'll be fine." Came a rapid response to... Nothing? "Please don't."

Don't what? What was going on? Weiss wanted to ask Ruby if she was ok, but she was technically eavesdropping. She didn't need to add another thing to the list of things that she had done wrong.

"Please,  _please_. Don't take her memories. Let her remember." Ruby begged. She was on the verge of tears. What did she mean 'take her memories'? "She can handle it, just let her remember me."

A look of relief washed over her face.

"Thank you." She said, breathing easier. "Yes, I'll come back."

Ruby took another glance at the school. This time she  _was_  crying, Weiss was sure.

And then...

There was a brilliant burst of light. The heiress had to shield her eyes from it, but as soon as it dulled, she took another look. Attached to Ruby's back was a pair of white wings with silver tips. They unfurled to a large wingspan and fluttered in the Autumn wind.

And in a moment, she vanished into nothing.

"Oh my god." Weiss whispered, backing up from her hiding place. "Oh my  _god_."

What the hell just happened? Did she just make that up? No, it couldn't be. It was so  _real_. Too vivid to be a dream.

_Far_  too vivid.

She stumbled back into the school and leaned up against the wall. What did she just see?

Ruby Rose.

_Her_  Ruby.

She was...

"An angel." Weiss whispered the impossible words.

Ruby always defied her expectations, but she had to say, Weiss  _never_  saw this coming.


	11. Catch Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Normal is subjective, but Weiss was pretty certain wings didn't fall beneath that classification.
> 
> As Ruby tries to adjust to her "normal" life again, Weiss begins to delve more into the abnormal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! Blue here with another chapter for ya! That last one ended on a biiiiit of a cliffhanger... This and probably won't be better ha ha. Thanks for the support of this fic. Lemme know what you think of this chapter! Enjoy the Roses!

Life went back to normal for Ruby Rose.

No, not normal. Life went back to how it was before Weiss.

That wasn't even accurate either. That was assuming Ruby went back to how things were before Weiss completely. As if she never existed. But Weiss left a mark on her mind, her heart, her  _essence_.

And she would never be rid of it.

The angel floated by the earth, scanning below to see if anyone needed help. She used to do this job happily,  _eagerly_. It was her favorite required task as an angel, probably cause field work meant she had to talk to people.

Now her heart wasn't in it. She managed to save two people and she thought it would make her feel... Fulfilled? Like how she felt when she saved Weiss from the roof that one night. She remembers that feeling vividly, how satisfying it felt to hold her, to know that  _she_  was the one who helped the girl stay on earth.

Helping these strangers didn't make her feel anything but empty now.

How did she get like this? She hated field work, it made her so anxious. She didn't know how to talk to people that she wasn't either friends with or had to save. And even then, she was just a mess with feather sticking out of her back.

But the more she stayed on the case, the more she wished to be one of them. To live on earth again. The hope was that when she got back to the clouds, that feeling would ebb away.

Unfortunately, the longer she stayed away from the living, the more she longed for their presence in her life.

Especially Weiss.

"Two days." Ruby mused aloud. It had only been two days and she missed everything about her life in Atlas.

Her shop class, learning curriculum that she never got to in her life (some that they never even taught at the time), Blake, and of course, Weiss.

Ruby wanted to stop by, see how Weiss was doing. Her memories were untouched, luckily enough; She convinced the other angels to keep them as they were. Maybe it was selfish of her, maybe Weiss would be happier to forget, but she just... Couldn't.

Her wings began to drift her in Weiss' direction, but she caught herself. Doing so was a recipe for disaster. If she got caught seeing her without explicit permission to do so, she could get clipped.

Clipped.

Huh.

She never thought that would ever be a worry of hers. It really didn't seem like a possibility.

Surprises all around and not the good kind.

Silver wings flapped faster, Ruby swiftly swooped around and headed home. At least flying was still fun to her, the wind in her hair. Going fast was still super cool, she was the fastest angel of the bunch!

Yang may have been good at the heavy lifting task, Ruby could fly circles around her.

Yang.

Did she know about all this? About how she  _really_  felt? The angels may not have noticed, but Yang was her sister. If anyone could figure it out, it would be Yang.

Her feet landed on the puffy ground.

It was really beautiful in the clouds, where no living being could find them. It was another plane of existence, only angels could break between the boundaries. She looked below and saw the earth rotating slowly.

"Still pretty, isn't it?"

Ruby looked up and saw her sister beside her, looking down as well.

"Yeah." Ruby agreed. "Time goes so fast there. Doesn't it?"

"It does. Just last week I went in to check on a charge I had a while back. She was twenty when I helped her, now she has grandkids." Yang explained. "Sometimes when we're down there, we forget that we are timeless, you know?"

"Yeah." She mumbled. Yang was often very silly so she forgot how insightful her sister could be. But she really was, truly. Maybe that's why she was so adept at field work, she knew how to phrase things.

Then she thought about what the blonde said,  _really_  let it sink in.

Ruby was timeless, she was immortal. And she would have to see Weiss grow up. Grow old. Weiss would move on with her life, fall in love. Maybe she would have kids.

She would be happy.

She could be happy without Ruby.

Happy without Ruby.

Without Ruby.

"Ruby?" Yang asked. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

It was then that she realized that she was crying. Some drops fell into the cloud and turned gray. The myth that rain was caused by weeping angels was completely false, but Ruby felt like she could rain a storm. Her eyes were the clouds, gray and brimming with liquid that  _begged_  to fall to the ground.

"Ruby?"

"Oh, hah." Ruby laughed, wiping away her tears as they formed. "I was just thinking about how beautiful it is that we get to see these people grow and improve themselves. We r-really make a difference."

"We do." She simply said. "You still think that?"

"What? Of course I do." The silver-eyed angel snapped, almost offended. "Why would you ask that?"

"You've been acting really weird lately." Confessed Yang.

So she  _did_  notice. Perfect.

"It was just... A really long case, Yang."

"Yeah, I know."

"A-and you know how much I really hate field work." She lied.

But Yang was not fooled.

"It didn't seem like you hated this one..."

"What are you trying to say?" Ruby snipped.

She didn't need this, she didn't need the sisterly lecture right now. It was painful enough that she made this attachment to her former charge. Yang didn't mean to make her feel bad, she only wanted to help, but sometimes it just hurt.

"That... This one shook you up." She told her, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "And that you may be immortal, but that doesn't mean that you can't get hurt in other ways."

Sage Yang, a rare sight indeed.

"When did you get smart? You didn't even finish school... Or really attend it in the first place."

"My wisdom comes from within, little sister." Yang said, closing her eyes and pressing her hands together to give off the impression that she was inn deep meditation.

"You're ridiculous." The younger angel snickered.

"Takes one to know one."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Eh, takes one to know one."

"That makes even  _less_  sense!" She giggled.

"Well it got you to laugh!" The blonde defended, joining in her sister's laughter. "But seriously. If you need anything, I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks, Yang. I-"

_Ruby._  A voice called to her.

Not just any voice.

It was Weiss.

_Ruby!_

Oh no. She needed help, she was calling to her.

"Ruby? Everything alright?"

"I-I gotta see the counsel! I'll talk to you later."

"Ruby!" Yang called after her, but this couldn't wait.

_Ruby!_

Weiss was still calling for her. She needed her. The angel ran into the room, unannounced and skidded to a stop.

"Ruby? What is the meaning of this?" The angel with the pink eyes asked.

"W-weiss! She's calling to me!"

"Excuse me?"

"She's in trouble, I can feel it!" She told them. "Please, you have to let me see what's wrong."

"We can send other angels."

"But they don't know her like I do!"

"Then a memory erase would-"

"No!" Ruby commanded. "I already told you that's not an option."

All seven angels rose up in their seats and towered over Ruby, making her immediately regret her tone.

"Who do you think you are talking to, Rose?" Spat the mint-eyed angel. He always seemed like the kindest one there, but not in this moment. "We are your superiors, you would do well to remember that."

Their shadow loomed over her and she shrank away. It was not her intent to order anything, but she just got so emotional. How did it ever come to this? Ruby wished she had never taken that case, that she left as soon as she knew Weiss was on the right path. She wouldn't feel this emotional if she just left.

_Ruby._

But she also wouldn't feel as wonderful. To care for another is an amazing feeling, one she forgot. She only really cared about people on a fixed time frame lately, with the exception of Yang. She was concerned when their lives were in danger and then she forgot them.

Ruby  _always_  cared about Weiss, even when she wasn't in danger or needed help.

"I-I know. A-and I'm not asking for much!" She timidly muttered. "Just... Some time. Unsupervised time to make sure she is ok."

"Unsupervised?"

"I noticed a pattern. She is more closed off when the counsel members are actively watching." Ruby fibbed.

"You are certain of this?" The blue-eyed angel piped up.

"Positive." She asserted. "Just give me one last chance to fix things. One more chance."

The assortment of eye colors looked to each other. They all leaned in and discussed the matter. Silver eyes watched them, prayed for this chance. One more chance. One more time to see Weiss, to make things right.

"You have two hours."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She cheered, running out. Leaping up, her wings spread out and she dived down into the realm of the living.

_Ruby Rose!_

Weiss.

_Ruby._

Weiss. She would be there soon.

When the Schnee manor came into vision, she saw a sight she never thought she would see again.

Weiss was on the roof, looking down very intently, far too close to the edge.

**XxXxX**

"She's... An angel." Weiss breathed. An angel. A literal, actual angel. Ruby Rose, the clumsy girl she fell for was an angel, sent from above. The ivory-haired girl's legs wobbled and shook in protest against their use. Somehow, she made it back to the lunch table with Blake.

"Weiss? How did it go? You look kind of pale." Blake asked, setting down her book on the table.

"Ruby... She..." Weiss started, but couldn't continue. What was she supposed to say? She had fallen in love with an angel? That she grew beautiful white wings that were tipped with the same silver as her eyes?

"What did Ruby do?" She pressed, catching onto Weiss' speechless issue.

"She's... Um... Leaving Atlas." She informed Blake. Amber eyes widened at this.

"I'm so sorry, Weiss." Blake said, sympathizing with her. Believing that  _that_  was why Weiss looked so panicked. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't what caused the heiress' state. She had no doubt Ruby was leaving Atlas, but she wasn't going to Vale.

She didn't even have family. Or maybe the other angels  _were_  her family? She never talked about them, it made sense why.

She never ate, or if she did, it was only a bite or two. She didn't accidentally drop that ice cream, it was on purpose. And that burger, when they skipped class, there was an uneaten patty in the trash. It must have been Ruby's.

Are angels not allowed to eat?

When Weiss would wake up in the morning after a sleepover. Ruby would already be awake. The heiress often wondered why that was, but now she knew. The angel didn't  _need_  to sleep, she probably just laid there the entire night.

That must have been awful boring.

_Not important right now. The point is that she was spending extended time with you, Weiss._  She thought.  _Why?_

Well, that was obvious. She didn't recognize it at the time, but Weiss was hurting. Far more than she could reasonably deal with. She took so much on herself, was too concerned with what others thought, and refused any help. Under the impression that it was her burden to bear, the heiress would have probably driven herself to madness.

Or possibly worse.

And Ruby  _had_  helped with that, immensely. Yet, an emptiness came from this realization. Knowing that Ruby didn't do it out of her own kindness, but rather a ruling from a higher power, hurt.

"I have to go." Weiss announced. "I need to... Research."

"Need some help?" Blake asked.

"No, I don't." She answered, giving Blake a reassuring smile. "But thank you."

**XxXxX**

Over the past couple days, Weiss had looked up everything she could about angels. Where they came from, why they were there, what they looked like. The issue was that so many sources said different things. Most religions had their own angel myths.

None of them said that one could look like a cute girl, nothing about them wearing a lot of red and no sources ever mentioned silver eyes.

She sighed and leaned back in her desk chair.

Some sources said that they did not show themselves to humans, acting as an invisible hand to help them though. Other said that you would not see an angel until you were dead and they were leading you to the afterlife.

Well Ruby was most definitely there and Weiss was most definitely not dead yet.

Maybe she wasn't an angel? Perhaps she was spliced with avian DNA and that's why she had wings? No, that was ridiculous. The wings would always be present in that case. And that didn't explain how she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Angel, she  _had_ to be an angel.

Weiss got up from her chair and looked out her window. She wanted to see Ruby out there, waiting to be let in. Did she ever actually climb the drain pipe up?

The research wasn't enough, she needed to know from the source! She needed to know from Ruby herself. Maybe if she got an explanation, she could move on with her life and look to the good things beyond the horizon.

Even if it was without Ruby.

That was what spurred her to climb back onto the roof. She had no intention of trying to leave her life, as she did before, but Ruby knew about it last time. She just  _knew_  where Weiss was and what she was about to do.

"Ruby." Weiss called out. She paced across the flat part of her roof. "Ruby!"

If she knew last time, she would know this time. She would call her till she was blue in the face. She could hear her. She knew it.

"Ruby!" She yelled.

A thought occurred to her. The drain pipe, that was her excuse for getting up on the roof last time. If she watched it, she would know that it was a lie.

"Ruby."

A minute passed. Then ten. Then thirty. The angel wasn't showing up.

Maybe she didn't care anymore, maybe she didn't want to help her. Maybe she couldn't help, or was too busy with someone else. She had a new person to look after.

Someone new to comfort and hug.

She wanted to give up, Weiss had been staring at the drainpipe for forty-five minutes. It was obvious that Ruby wasn't coming and all Weiss wanted to do was climb back into her room and lay on her bed.

"Ruby Rose!" She scolded to the air, one last plea to summon her.

Nothing.

Did she make up what she saw? Weiss could have created a reality in her mind that seemed better than what was actually going on. Ruby had to leave with her family, she went back to Vale. Ruby didn't want to talk to her anymore and she was only crying to the sky.

She was crying to no one.

Alone, again.

"Ruby." She said, still staring at the drain pipe. But the younger girl would not be climbing up. Only her hopes slipped down, falling fast.

"Weiss." Someone said behind her.

And there she was. Ruby Rose. Standing on the same roof they did three months ago.

"Weiss, please don't do this." Ruby whispered, inching closer with cautious steps.

"How did you get up here?"

"Same way as always. The drai-"

"Drain pipe?" Weiss asked. She pointed to where she had been looking. "You mean this one? The one I have been watching for almost an hour?"

"U-uh... A different one?" She chuckled awkwardly. "Just step away from the edge, whatever happened, it will be alright."

"This isn't like last time, Ruby." Weiss cut to the chase. "I was trying to find  _you_."

"On the roof?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"You found  _me_  here. It was safe to assume it could happen again." Weiss said. "Why are you here? How did you know I would be here?"

"I forgot something, I wanted to get it back."

"Is that so?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Not even a little."

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, offended.

"Stop lying!" She shouted back. "I know what you are."

" _What_  I am?" She asked. It was clear that she was nervous by that statement. The ivory-haired girl felt bad that she made Ruby anxious, but she needed answers and this was the only way.

"Yes." Weiss answered. "You're an angel."

Ruby took a step back, her silver eyes widened.

"Wh-what are you talking about? I know I'm sweet, but I'm no-"

"I saw you! I saw you talking to 'no one' and I saw your wings."

"Wha-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but I wanted to talk with you." Weiss explained, her tone becoming more calm and apologetic. "But... You haven't been honest with me either."

"Weiss, I don't know what you think you saw, but I'm not an angel."

"You're  _still_  lying? To my face?" Weiss said, hurt evident in her voice. "Do I mean that little to you that you can't even tell me when I've figured it all out?"

"No! You mean so much to me, Weiss."

"Don't say that."

"What?"

"Don't say my name like that, like you actually cared, Ruby."

"Weiss!" She cried, silver eyes watering.

"No! If you don't have the decency to admit it to me you-"

Slip.

Weiss' foot slipped.

And the next moment, she found herself falling backwards off the house. Plummeting towards the ground.

"WEISS!" Ruby shrieked.

But Weiss didn't say a word, she was silently speeding down to the ground.

Everything started to slow and Weiss thought about her life. All the mistakes she made. All that time she shut people out. The people who just wanted to help her. She could have been enjoying their presence, but she punished herself instead.

Needlessly.

The heiress was so concerned with what others thought. How she appeared as a Schnee, it was the only thing that mattered. That was what her father taught her. Now she knew, though. Now she knew that the only opinion of her that truly mattered was herself. People would come and go, but she would have herself for the rest of her life.

However short that was.

Then she thought about all the things she would miss from this existence. Like Klein, the kind butler who just wanted the best for Weiss. Imagine what he would think when she was found. He would think she had done this on purpose, and there was no one to tell him otherwise.

And Blake, she had tried so hard to help her, especially recently. She had been that shoulder to cry on, to rely on after what happened with Ruby. Before that too, they had been friends for a long time. Blake would be heartbroken about the news.

Weiss didn't want to die now, she wanted to live! This was just an accident. A careless mistake that would have disastrous consequences.

But it didn't matter, it was happening.

Weiss would die.

She would die.

She would...

Before she could hit the ground, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she was gradually steered away from the fast approaching earth. Her descent slowed and she tumbled on the grass with the other figure.

Weiss opened her eyes and saw an unbelievable sight in front of her. Ruby held her in her arms tightly, but on her back were those same wings as before. White with silver-tipped edges, glowing brightly and emanating so much emotion. She felt so loved in that moment, loved and protected. Without thinking, one of her hands reached up to touch the wing, to make sure they were real.

As soon as her fingers brushed along Ruby's soft feathers, Weiss began to cry. It was like touching Ruby's essence, and it was only love. Love for Weiss.

She could  _feel_  that love.

The angel finally pulled back from her embrace and Weiss could see the girl was sobbing.

"D-dammit Weiss!" She swore. The heiress never saw her cry like this before. "You can't scare me like that."

No words came from Weiss. She was awestruck, in utter shock of everything that had just happened. She almost died and Ruby saved her. Now here she was, back lit by her vibrant radiating wings, crying. She was certain that she had never seen anything this beautiful, that she would never see anything that topped it, and that nothing (past or present) could ever hold a candle to this majesty.

"Weiss? Weiss say something!"

No words came, she couldn't. What  _could_  she say? The woman she loved was a literal angel and had saved her life. She just stared at her, in shock, unaware of any sensation.

Until she felt one on her face. On her lips actually. Ruby leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. It lasted longer than a second and was far better than she could have ever imagined. More kisses rained down on her face from the angel. Ruby kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose and finally her lips again. She felt Ruby's tears spilling onto her face as she peppered the shocked heiress with soft kisses. By the time the angel arrived to her lips for the second time, Weiss had just about snapped out of her stupor.

She lifted a hand up, held the back of Ruby's head, her fingers threaded through her crimson locks. Ruby squeaked at Weiss' sudden reciprocation, but did not pull back. She held Weiss closer and deepened the kiss, needy, greedy and loving.

Ruby kissed her as if Weiss would disappear if she stopped, she held her this way too.

When they finally pulled away, Weiss was out of breath. She may have had a larger lung capacity than most, but she couldn't beat someone who didn't need to breathe at all.

"I'm sorry, Weiss." Ruby cried. "I care about you! I care about you so much it hurts. It hurt to leave you and it hurt to be so... Cold."

"Ruby..."

"A-and I didn't want to lie to you, but I didn't want you to forget me either."

"Forget you? I would never." She whispered in a comforting tone. She kissed just below Ruby's eye. The angel had comforted Weiss so many times, it was her turn to repay the favor.

_Handsomely._

" _They_  would  _make_  you forget." She told Weiss, her voice hoarse from her tears. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Like what?"

"I... Wasn't supposed to fall for you..."

"But... You did?" Weiss asked. She needed the reassurance that that was what Ruby meant. She  _craved_  it.

Instead, Ruby pulled Weiss in for another kiss. Her hand snaked up Weiss' back and held the back of her head, softly petting her hair. It wasn't as long as before, but Ruby got her point across.

"I fell for you, Weiss." Ruby said, crying. "I fell so hard and I don't know what to do."


	12. Questions and Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No holding back, no more secrets.
> 
> Ruby is completely honest. With Weiss, with herself, and... With some that she didn't intend to be so honest with...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Blue here! I'm sorry this is a day late, I got really busy yesterday. But we finally got a kiss! One where that wasn't painful haha. Again, wow! Thank you for all the comments and support, you guys freaking rock!! I'm hugging all of y'all with my brain (that sounds weird but you get what I mean) 
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter as well, some full disclosure between our girls. Lemme know what you think. Enjoy the Roses!

"You're... Sure?" Weiss asked. She and Ruby were sitting on the bed together. The heiress had her legs pulled up, folded in the ladylike manner. Across from her, Ruby sat cross-legged. She was smiling at Weiss, but her hands told another story. She was nervous, her fidgeting gave  _that_  much away. Reaching over, the ivory-haired girl placed a hand over the restless ones. "You don't have to if you think it would be an issue."

"No, it's alright." Ruby reassured her. "We have a little less than two hours, but I'll answer any questions you have."

After Ruby composed herself, the two decided it was time for a talk. A real one in a room, rather than on a roof or behind the Schnee estate. Weiss tried to puzzle how they would get back into her room. They couldn't walk in the front door without raising suspicion. There was the drain pipe, maybe it was climbable after all?

Before she could finish puzzling it out, Ruby swept her off of her feet.

Literally.

The younger girl (actually, that might not be as accurate as Weiss used to believe) was carrying her, bridal style. Before she could ask her what she was doing, Ruby smiled and lifted them higher in the air. Her stomach dropped the higher they flew. In reaction, Weiss draped her arms around the angels neck and held on tightly.

The words 'Don't worry, I've got you' still played in her head like the sweetest melody.

Ruby lifted her in through the window carefully and then climbed in herself. So the drainpipe was a rouse after all.

"You do have questions, right?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, many."

"I figured." She giggled.

"God, your laugh is so cute." Weiss slipped out before she could stop herself. Her delicate hands came up and covered her mouth in shock. Silver eyes widened and the angel's face turned a brilliant scarlet. "I-I am so sorry, it just... Ugh, sorry."

Ruby laughed harder and squeezed the flustered heiress' hands.

"It's fine, really." She assured her. "Besides, I think you have the prettiest smile I've ever seen. And I've been around a while, Weiss. Seen a  _lot_  of smiles."

Weiss  _knew_  it.

This girl would be the death of her.

"Ahem, so." Weiss coughed, trying to get back to the subject at hand before the girl flustered her to death. "You're an angel. You  _are_  an angel, right? Not some avian experiment?"

"Avian?"

"You're not a bird person?" Weiss asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh! No, definitely not a bird." Ruby grinned. "I am an angel.  _Your_  guardian angel, or at least I was."

"Is that common? Angels walking among us? Surely someone would notice."

"It's not. Only in special cases, like yours."

"How was mine different?" Inquired the ivory-haired girl.

Ruby released her hands and extended them in front of her to gesture to something vast.

"The world is full of different people who have different destinies. It's all part of the grand design." Ruby explained. "Some people are destined to do amazing things for the greater good. Like you."

"Me?"

"I've always said you were special, Weiss. I mean it." She said. "But we saw you were... Slipping. They didn't want to risk having you fall down a dark path, so they sent me!"

"They?"

"Other angels. There is a specific counsel to each case, they observe to make sure all is going well."

"But, couldn't they be watching now?" She asked, panic laced in her voice.

"No, I... Tricked them into giving me some unsupervised time." Ruby told Weiss with a sigh. "I'm breaking so many rules."

Ruby dropped her arms and looked down into her lap. Clearly distraught, Weiss thought it best to change the subject.

"Well, have angels been caught before? Surely someone made a mistake before you." Weiss asked. She winced. That... came out wrong, but Ruby didn't seem offended.

"Oh yeah! But angels can wipe memories! It's what I did to Jimmy Junior."

"Jimmy?"

"Headmaster Ironwood! I knew his dad."

The heiress barely managed to bite back a giggle at the nickname for her headmaster. Thinking of the strong man as a 'junior' tickled her funny bone for reasons she couldn't quite explain.

"So that's why he lied to my father." Weiss put together after composing herself. "He didn't  _think_  it was a lie."

"No, he didn't."

"Is that what you are afraid they'll do to me? Make me forget you?"

Ruby closed her eyes and sighed. Clearly another touchy topic, but Weiss had a feeling more were just ahead. They didn't have much time, they had to power through them.

"I  _know_  they will. If they find out what you know, they will wipe it for sure." She told her. Her silver eyes opened again and locked with Weiss. "That's why you need to act like you know nothing."

"You want me to act like this didn't happen?" She asked. She didn't know if she could manage that. Ruby had changed her life, to act as if she was never there, to act as if she never learned what she was... "That... Won't be easy."

While Weiss was contemplating just how she would keep this secret, her angel leaned in and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, so soft and sweet. She pulled back, and rested her own forehead where she had just kissed, the warmest smile gracing her lips.

"I know. It's gonna be hard, but I know you can do it." Ruby whispered reassuringly. She pulled back and returned to her seated position. "What else do you want to know?"

Weiss stuttered incoherently for a moment before clearing her throat. She swore she could speak normally around the girl before. She used to have the vocabulary of a scholar around Ruby. And now? She was a babbling fool.

A babbling fool in love.

"S-so... You're an angel. Were you just... Created? Are angels created?"

"I mean, I was born if that's what you're asking."

"Born an angel?"

"Oooooh! No, I was born here, on earth."

"You... Were human?"

"Yes." She laughed. "Why? Is that so unbelievable?"

"N-no!" Weiss backpedaled. She shifted in her seat, afraid she had offended Ruby in some way. "I just don't know how all of this works. You were human and you... Um..."

"Died, yes." She easily answered. Like it was so simple, just an everyday topic. She supposed that, for Ruby, it was.

But she died! She was dead, Weiss was talking to a dead girl right now. Though, she certainly didn't  _feel_  dead to her. The way she held her, squeezed her hands. The way they kissed. Would a dead girl really be able to kiss like that?

And she was warm,  _god_ was she warm. The dead were supposed to be cold. Then again, it wasn't like she was a reanimated corpse, this was probably a physical representation of her soul. And she probably wasn't as young as she looked, she could most likely be any age she wanted to be.

Oh.

"Ruby?" Weiss tepidly asked. "When did...  _That_  happen."

"When did what happen? When did I die?"

"Yes... How are you so  _ok_  with the fact that you died?"

"It's kind of been a while, Weiss. Death is a natural part of the grand design, mine just happened sooner than most."

"When?"

"I died in 1938."

"I... I beg your pardon?" Weiss asked, stunned by Ruby's confession.

"Yup, I grew up in the great depression actually." She added with a shrug of her shoulders. "Not a  _great_  time to be alive, I'll tell you that."

"Ruby, that was seventy-two years ago!"

"Wow, really? Time flies I guess."

Weiss got up from the bed and paced around it for a minute or two. Ruby Rose was so much older than she knew. That thought hadn't occurred to her till just now. Angel, sure, but she always saw her as the age she appeared to be.

"Weiss, are you alright?"

"I'm... Fine... It's..."

"A lot, I know."

"How old were you when... Um..."

"When I died?" Ruby supplied, seeing that was one of the concepts that Weiss struggled to grasp. The heiress smiled, grateful that the angel understood her so well. "I was fifteen."

"That's so young! What happened?"

"There was a fire at my orphanage and-"

"Orphanage?"

"Yeah, I was an orphan." Ruby informed her. "Our parents died when we were really young."

"Our?" Weiss asked for clarification. So much new information about Ruby was being given to her in the span of a couple hours. Did she have other family members? Oh, they must have been so sad to lose Ruby.

Weiss knew that  _she_  would be.

"My sister, Yang." Ruby chirped, a bit  _too_  cheerful for the subject matter. "We went in to save some other orphans and... We didn't come back out."

"Your sister she died too?"

"Yeah, but it's ok! We  _both_  became angels because of our heroic actions." Ruby said, puffing out her chest.

"That's good, I suppose." Weiss muttered. This was officially the strangest conversation she had ever had. Never in her life had she ever thought she would tell someone that it was good that their sister died with them.

Ruby was certainly spinning her life around in weird wild ways, but also some wonderful ways too. After all, if it weren't for her, she would still be sulking in her own self isolation. And that was the best case scenario. Worst case, she would be have having a veeeery different conversation with Ruby.

She wouldn't be the only dead girl talking.

"She's been worried about me lately. I've been acting...  _Weird_  apparently." She told her with a pathetic smile.

"What could have caused that?" Teased Weiss. "What are you gonna tell her?"

"What can I say? 'Yang, I know we decided to dedicate our souls to being angels and saving other people, but I met this super pretty heiress and she twists my wings into a tizzy and my heart goes all jumpy jumpy'? That wouldn't go over well."

"Probably not." Weiss said, a deep blush appearing on her face once again from the angel's honesty. Ruby was too good at eliciting that reaction from her. "So angels can't date?"

"That is a big N O." She confirmed. "We had our time to live, we aren't allowed to use this as a second chance to live. No eating, no unauthorized visits, and absolutely no falling in love."

"You can't eat?"

" _That's_  what you fixated on?" She laughed. "We can, but it's frowned upon. I don't taste anything anyways."

Silence. The question was there, it clung to the air like a vapor, waiting to be inhaled and expelled. They were both afraid of this one though. The rest of them were more for clarification. But this one? This was the scary one.

Weiss breathed it in, let the concern bubble and brew in her lungs.

And then...

"What happens when an angel falls in love?"

"They get their wings clipped. I don't know much about it, complete angels such as myself aren't allowed to talk to them." Ruby said in a low voice, her eyes never leaving Weiss. "But they become mortal again."

Mortal.

Alive.

The thought of that sent jolts of excitement throughout the heiress' body, starting from her chest, to her shoulders and hips and then to her extremities. She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips, even if she wanted to. Which she most certainly did not. She was just so happy. Here she was, thinking that Ruby wouldn't be able to stay with her, that Ruby would remain one age and have to watch Weiss die. No, she could live  _with_  her!

Weiss was so ecstatic!

But, Ruby did not seem to share her sentiment, her frown was evidence of that.

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Weiss, I would be completely disconnected from the other angels, from my sister." She said, hugging herself. "And I have no idea what would happen after... Well... I die  _again_."

"Oh."

Weiss averted her gaze from Ruby. Guilt replaced the jolts of happiness, the feeling doused the other and she nearly drowned in it. She was asking Ruby to give up everything she had known for her. How selfish could she be, how sinful.

She was asking an angel to be a sinner.

"I... Don't know what I'm doing." Ruby admitted. "I've never felt this way about anyone before and I'm... Scared."

And then Weiss knew what she had to do. Every inch of her screamed to do the wrong thing, to beg for her to stay. She wanted to keep Ruby all to herself, her own personal angel. The girl who brought light into her life. She wanted to hold onto the light and keep it close.

That wasn't what she  _had_  to do though.

"They... They need you, Ruby." Weiss whispered. The words were hard to say, but she had to commit to them. "I don't anymore."

The angel looked as if she had been stabbed in the heart seven times. Not that it would kill her, but she looked that pained.

"It's not that I don't want you here, it's not that I don't... don't care about you." She continued to explain. "But I can't take you away from people who need you more."

The redhead looked to the ground, tears starting to spill from her eyes.

"So... This is goodbye, then." Came a broken response. The knife traveled from Ruby's heart right back to Weiss'.

"I guess it is."

They both got up from the bed and walked over to the window. It had almost been two hours, there wasn't much time at all. Ruby pulled Weiss in for a tight hug, squeezing with everything she had. The ivory-haired girl held her just as tight, tears spilling from her eyes.

The scent of roses crept into her nose once again. Somehow, she knew that no rose would ever smell as sweet as the one she held in her arms.

After finally releasing, Ruby spread her wings back out, casting a huge light all around her. She climbed onto the windowsill and perched there, ready to leave at any moment.

"Wait!" Weiss yelled. She walked over to Ruby and ran a gentle hand against her cheek. She brought the other up as well to hold her face. And then slowly, very slowly, she leaned in and kissed Ruby.

It wasn't like their first kiss, which was a disaster, and it wasn't like their second one, which was needy and sloppy. No, this one was soft and built into more passion. Her goal was to pour all her love out into Ruby on this last kiss and Ruby seemed determined to do the same. Weiss smiled against her lips, wishing the kiss could last forever.

Yet it couldn't, and they both knew that.

There was only one thing left to say to her.

"I love you, Ruby." She breathed. It was so quiet that the only reason Ruby heard it was because of Weiss' proximity to her face. The redhead choked a sob, but gulped it down.

"I love you too." She whispered, leaning in and kissing Weiss on the scar over her left eye.

Then, she pushed off against the window, hovered in the air a bit, and was gone.

Tears ran down Weiss' cheeks, but she found herself smiling instead. She was proud of Ruby, proud of all the good she had done and the good she  _would_  do. It was the most painful decision she ever had to make, but Weiss was certain she made the right one. She couldn't tell Ruby to stay, it would have been cruel to her.

Weiss would be happy, she would. Ruby said there was good around the corner, and she still believed her.

"Go, my precious angel." She called out, even though she knew Ruby wouldn't be able to hear her. "Be a hero."

**XxXxX**

Ruby wasn't sure how, but she stopped her crying by the time she made it back. Soon after she left, she stood in front of the counsel. Dry-eyed and stoic.

They were silently deliberating right in front of her, and she couldn't do anything but wait for them to finish.

She tried to think about how she would respond to their numerous questions (if they were talking this long, they must have a ton) but she could only think about Weiss and their bittersweet parting. Weiss' kiss was still on her lips, and though she couldn't actually taste anything, she imagined they tasted of vanilla.

Very sweet.

Very soft.

Very Weiss.

"How did it go? Does she need a memory wipe and a new guardian?"

"No, she's fine now." Ruby said with a smile. "She's wonderful."

They all went silent and eyed Ruby suspiciously. And here came the grilling. 'What was the issue?' She imagined one asking. 'What did she say exactly?' asked another in her head. They would keep asking till they got every single detail.

The angel would have to think on her feet with this one. Be like Yang, come up with some clever and believable lies. She was related to her, surely she got those genes. Was that how it worked?

_Focus_   _Ruby_. She chided herself. She needed her head in the right mind frame, otherwise they would walk all over her. Especially the angel with the blue tips on her wings. She was  _especially_  cranky, like... All the time.

She would be ready. What ever question they asked, she knew she could roll with it.

"Ruby Rose." Green eyes started.

They used her full name. They never did that. Using her full name meant baaaaad things for her. She gulped, and tried to clear her mind.

"Y-yes?"

"You have been acting quite strange as of late."

"I have?" She asked. "This case was kind of long, must have gotten to my head."

She giggled and wrapped a knuckle on her head. They were utterly unamused, just looking at her with serious looks plaster on their ageless features.

"This is not like any other case you have worked on."

"O-Oh?" She stammered. "How so?"

"Ruby," He drew out. "You are aware of the penalty for falling in love, correct?"

Ice ran in her veins.

She wasn't ready for that one.

"Of course I do, why do you ask?"

"I think you  _know_  why we're asking."

Oh no, oh god. They knew! They lied to her! They were watching the entire time. She couldn't believe they would betray her trust like that. Although, she was doing that as well. But they promised.

"I-it wasn't what it looked like! I was... Was only kissing her to try and get her out of shock!" It was a partial truth, one they would hopefully buy.

"You WHAT?" Pink eyes yelled.

Oh no.

"We were  _not_  watching Ruby, but we saw signs of this." Blue eyes huffed. "And now you've confirmed it."

Oh god.

"Ruby, you have done a lot of good for us. You have followed the rules up till now. So we will give you a choice." Pale green calmly explained.

"A choice?" She timidly squeaked. Ruby didn't like the sound of that.

"Us or her."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"You choose us, you stay a complete angel, but you are never to speak of her again. Never to see her, never to interact with her until she is dead, and even then."

Ruby would...  _Never_  see Weiss again? She couldn't even look down at her, watch her grow and have fun? That was torturous to think about. Ruby always thought that she would have that as a worse case scenario, but this was so much worse.

"Or." He continued. "Choose her. Become clipped and suffer the consequences of that. Disconnected from us, from ever being one of us again."

Never?

Why was it always extremes with them?

Either way, Ruby would hurt someone. If she left, she hurt Yang and the other angels. If she stayed, she would be hurting herself.

And then she thought of Weiss.

Weiss, the girl that she fell in love with. The girl that made her wish to be alive again, to actually truly  _feel_  her touch. The only girl she had ever loved like this.

Then she thought about the angels. They gave her this second chance, but had lost touch with any semblance of humanity. They were supposed to be the empathetic ones, and they couldn't even understand what Ruby was feeling. They used to feel warm, but no longer. The angels were cold and calculating.

The impossible decision wasn't seeming so impossible anymore.

But there was also Yang.

Her sister who had been with her through it all. Through their parents death, through  _their own_  deaths and beyond. All her life and even after, Yang was there. If she got herself clipped, she would probably never see her again.

Ever.

Was she really ok with giving that up? The blonde meant too much to her, she always thought she would be by her side. And now, she was at the precipice of making an existence-changing choice. To shut herself off to love, once and for all, or to fall from grace and live a mortal life. A full one this time (if she was lucky).

"I... Need some time to think." Ruby pleaded. "Can you give me some time?"

The pale green angel squinted his eyes at the angel on trial.

"An hour. Have the decision made by then."

"Earth time, or here?"

"Here."

"Thank you."

Ruby walked out of the cloud room, and it felt like it would be the last time she ever did.

That thought both frightened and excited her, but she wasn't quite sure which emotion was stronger.

An hour, that was probably a day on earth. Two? Time was weird and arbitrary. She hoped that Weiss would be ok all alone. Then again, she left her with the intention of never coming back. And if she took the angel's deal, she couldn't mention her or look for her anymore.

She wouldn't have to worry about that if she chose Weiss. If she fell for her.

But she would lose everything she had done, the existence that she made for herself. She wouldn't be able to save others anymore. She wouldn't be immortal anymore, she would feel pain again.

Yet, all she could think about was how she would feel Weiss' touch in full. She would feel how her lips brushed against hers, the complete sensation of the act.

The decision became progressively more impossible the longer she pondered it. She needed help, some advice. Advice from someone that always had her back. The only angel that might have some shred of sympathy.

Ruby headed over to talk to Yang.


	13. Concern and Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions sometimes leave wounds.
> 
> Some take no time to heal and others?
> 
> Well others may never heal at all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Blue here! Another new chapter and this one... is gonna be a doozy, as many of you can tell. Sorry for the wait, but I do hope you like this one. Lemme know what you think. Enjoy the Roses!

 

On a typical day, Blake would have headed straight to shop class. It was in a building separate from the school and she wanted to get there before it started to become rife with others. 'The early bird gets the worm' and all that. Except this time it was 'the early bird gets that nice new piece of Balsa wood that was just brought in'.

That day, however, Blake didn't immediately head over to class. She walked in the main building and towards Weiss' locker, where she waited for her.

Weiss had been quite distraught over Ruby lately. After their kiss and learning of her departure, it seemed as if the heiress was isolating herself again. She would be looking something up on her phone constantly, a paper at hand to take notes on what she was reading. And when she wasn't doing this, she told Blake that she had to go to the library and work.

'Research' she called it.

'Distractions' Blake called it.

That wasn't too bad, she supposed. Perhaps it was Weiss' way of coping with everything that was going on. It just felt like she was shutting her out again. She offered multiple times to help her with her 'research', but was shut down each time. Which was, quite frankly, ludicrous. If Weiss was the number one student, then Blake was number two. She could research like nobody's business  _and_  she knew that library like the back of her hand, every tendon and freckle.

The raven-haired girl attempted to take a sneak peek at Weiss' 'research' to see what it was about, but two things came in between that. One, if Blake got too close to the paper, close enough to read off it, she would retract it and hold the notes tight to her chest. And two, even if she  _were_  able to take a look at Weiss' notes, it would be an invasion of privacy and she respected her too much to even attempt that.

Which brought Blake to her locker, early on a Thursday morning. Being sneaky wouldn't get her anywhere, especially with Weiss. Being blunt and straightforward with her concerns was her best option.

She finally saw her best friend start to walk down the hall after ten minutes of waiting. Weiss cocked her head to the side when she took note of Blake, leaning up against the teal lockers.

"Hello, Blake." She greeted. "Is there something you need?"

Cheerful. Weiss actually sounded kind of cheerful. Blake wasn't prepared for  _that_.

"I've... Been worried about you. You've seemed a little distracted lately."

"Yeah, I've been a bit... Down lately." She admitted.

"A bit?"

"Okay, I've been  _very_  down lately." Weiss chuckled. "But I feel a lot better now. No worrying needed."

"That was pretty quick." Blake noted, eyeing Weiss suspiciously. "What happened."

Weiss gestured for Blake to step aside from her locker. She obliged, waiting for some sort of explanation.

"I met up with Ruby last night."

"Oh?"

"Yes, we had... A talk."

Weiss grabbed some books out of the metal container and placed them in her messenger bag carefully. When it seemed she was not going to continue on with the story, Blake grew impatient.

"Aaaaaand?" She prompted.

"And I understand."

Another silence, Weiss didn't want to give more than she just had. But Blake wouldn't accept that. She was her  _best friend_ , they knew each other for  _years_. She wouldn't accept a simple 'I understand'.

"What do you understand."

"Ruby had a complicated life, Blake. One that she doesn't tell many." She acquiesced. "But... I understand why she did the things she did and I understand why she has to go."

"Okay." Blake said, still suspicious. "Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because she entrusted me with this information, Blake. I can't go around telling her secrets."

"But she had secrets from  _you_."

"Everyone has secrets, Blake." Weiss told her, walking down the halls. "I know you probably do."

Blake jogged to catch up to Weiss.

"Ok, fine. You don't have to tell me. But at least tell me this." She began. "Tell me you are actually happy. Tell me that you are ok, cause I have been worried about you since I came over Saturday."

The ivory-haired girl stopped in her tracks and turned to face Blake. She smiled warmly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm ok. Everything is as it needs to be, and I've accepted it. Don't you worry about me. Yes, I'm hurting, but I  _will_  be ok."

She wanted to say something in return, to take away that hurt, but she knew that this  _was_  the best possible outcome of this situation. Pain was part of life, Blake knew that. Weiss was hurt, probably very hurt, but she was on her way to recovery and handling it like a champ. She wasn't shutting her out, she wasn't isolating herself any longer.

This was a good thing, Blake knew that now.

"Alright. If you say so, I believe you." She agreed. The next second, Weiss pulled her into a tight hug, released and bid her goodbye before heading in the direction of her first period art class.

"Thank you, Ruby." Blake whispered, knowing that she was the one responsible for helping Weiss grow this much.

Even if she had to hurt her in the end.

**XxXxX**

"Ruby!" Yang exclaimed, rushing forward to pull her sister into a big hug. Ruby reciprocated, but barely. She pulled back, keeping her hands on Ruby's shoulders to look at her. "I heard you got called in by the counsel again. What happened?"

"Yang." She said, ignoring her query. "I need your help."

"What? What do you need help with." She rapidly questioned. "Are they asking about your integrity, cause I'll totally vouch for you! You know I will."

"No, I don't need anyone to vouch for me, Yang." Ruby chuckled a bit. Yang always had her back, it was nice to know that she still did. Even now.

"Ok. Um, what's going on then?"

"Yang... I need to make a decision."

"Did they tell you that?"

"That was their judgment. I have an hour to figure it out."

"Judgment." Yang contemplated. "This sounds really serious, Ruby."

The silver-eyed angel sighed. That was the understatement of the century. And she would know, she had been there through most of it.

"I don't know what to do." Ruby whimpered, on the verge of tears.

"Oh, Ruby." Yang softly cooed. The older sister pulled the younger girl into another consoling hug. "It's gonna be ok. Now tell me, what decision do you need to make?"

Ruby sniffed and tried to compose herself for what she would tell Yang.

"One choice is to stay here, continue being an angel. Keep everything the way it was."

Yang pulled away from Ruby and had a huge grin on her face. She shook her sister's shoulder in her excitement.

"Ruby! That's great though! You can stay here, no harm, no foul!"

"But, there's a... A catch."

"Oh." Yang said, releasing her sister's shoulders and placing her hands on her hips. She looked to the side and sighed, nerves evident on her face. "Ok, what is it?"

"I... Can never talk about Weiss again. I can never see her, go to her, or have any involvement with her at all. Ever again." Ruby explained.

The silver-eyed angel rubbed her elbow and averted her gaze. It was out there in the open now. She admitted it... Sort of. Surely Yang would understand.

But the blonde laughed, something about what she said struck her as funny.

Ruby didn't find it funny.

"That's it?" Yang asked, still laughing. "That's easy! Charges come and go, you'll forget this one soon!"

Her sister tried to put a hand on her back to reassure her, but Ruby ducked out of the way and looked Yang dead in the eye.

"This is serious!"

"Rubes, come on. What is the other option? Stay with her?" Yang asked facetiously.

But the redhead was silent. She watched as Yang's face turned from amusement to shock. The blonde angel turned around and ran her fingers through the bangs of her hair.

"You're actually considering it, aren't you?"

"Don't be mad."

"AREN'T YOU?" Yang raised her voice. She spun around and towered over the younger girl.

"I... Am."

She looked away in shame. She felt Yang's stare, it was angry and confused and... Hurt.

"Why?" Yang asked. "Why would you even _consider_  that an option?"

"B-because... Because..." Ruby stammered. "Because I... Love her."

_Now_  it was out there, she admitted it to Yang. She couldn't look at her face, she was scared of what she would see. But maybe she would be ok, after all, Yang always had her back. They were sisters, through thick and thin.

"You... Love her?" Yang asked, her voice low and soft. "You're giving up everything for a girl?"

"I-I haven't decided yet."

"But the fact that you think it's an option says everything, Ruby!" She shouted. "All you would have to do is forget her! Just forget Weiss! That isn't even that bad of a punishment."

"Yes it is!" Ruby shouted back, tears now falling down. "You have NO idea what this feels like, Yang! I feel like I'm being ripped in half here! I love being an angel, but I also love her. I've never felt this way about  _anyone_."

When she was done she finally looked at Yang. The look on her face, it was heartbreaking. As she thought, such disappointment, anger and pain, written all over.

"Yang, you said it yourself." She continued to explain. "It wasn't fair, we had so many things we didn't get to do. I never got to fall in love, Yang. Is that fair? That I'm not allowed to do that? After everything I've done!"

"I was young, Ruby. I didn't  _know_  better, but I've grown up since then." Yang bit back. "I thought you had too."

The silver-eyed angel took a step back, hurt by her sister's implications.

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" Ruby defended. "I need help, Yang. I came to you because... Well... you've always been there for me. Please try to understand."

"Oh, I understand alright." She said, her tone cold and distant. "I understand how incredibly  _selfish_  you're being right now."

"Yang." She cried.

"No. You came for sympathy. You came to hear me say 'it's alright Ruby, do what your heart tells you to', right?"

"No, I-"

"Save it! You aren't getting sympathy, not this time. What you're doing is not okay." She stated. "What you are considering is... It's..."

Yang grunted, kicked the clouds and turned away. Her back was hunched over and her hands were clenched into fists, vibrating with anger.

"Yang." Whimpered the redhead, weeping now.

Upon hearing that, Yang's shoulders relaxed and she turned back to Ruby.

"You want to throw away everything, leave me behind and 'follow your heart', fine. But..." Yang said in a low tone (angry and defeated), now crying as well. "There is no way I can support that decision."

"W-what?" Ruby asked. "What happened to having each others backs? Sisters always stick together."

"Then..." She started. "I guess we aren't sisters anymore."

Those words. So simple, so easily said. They plunged into Ruby, skewered every inch of her. She may not have felt physical pain in years, but this was far worse than anything she had ever felt before. Yang didn't want to be her sister anymore. She was losing her. She was losing Yang.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted. "Yang, p-please don't say that!"

"Goodbye, Ruby." The blonde said, walking away from her.

"YANG!" She pleaded, sobbing at that point. But Yang didn't listen, she kept walking, leaving Ruby to crumple to her knees.

**XxXxX**

"There." Weiss said, positioning the string just right with a smile. When she got home from school, she remembered the wooden rose on her desk, the one that Ruby gave to her. It made her so happy, but... So sad at the same time. Still, she didn't want Ruby's hard work to be for naught, and it was the only thing she had left of her. So she hung the rose up right next to her desk. A reminder.

A reminder that things could be good.

The heiress pulled her messenger bag closer and began pulling her homework out. She had a lot of work to do, History, English, Biology and...

Pre-Calculus.

Her dainty hand brushed against the cover and she smiled. Memories of helping Ruby all those Saturdays. The way her tongue stuck out when she was thinking really hard. She wondered how much help she  _really_  needed. After all, she only asked her to be her tutor to help Weiss.

This next Saturday was going to be difficult. It would be the first Saturday alone in a long time. In all honesty, it had only been a couple months, but it felt like a year to Weiss. Ruby had become such a big part of her life. She found her home (her  _real_  home) in those silver eyes.

But home was far away now, and wouldn't be coming back.

That was ok, though. She was certain there was another home out there for her, she just had to find it. Not now, she was too raw now. Yet, Weiss knew there would be a day.

There would be a day where she found another person who made her heart do a stutter step. She would find another who held her when she was crying and would climb a drainpipe just to keep her company. There would be another person who believed in her just as much, and who  _loved_  her just as much. She knew this because she  _deserved_  it.

Today was not that day.

Tomorrow would probably not be that day either.

For now, she had homework to do, and it was getting rather late already. Weiss pushed aside her Pre-Calculus textbook, finding it too emotionally difficult to deal with. History was a bit too on the nose too, especially since they were on the topic of the great depression. Biology just made her think of how oddly her body reacted to Ruby's proximity. And English?... Well maybe English wouldn't be bad.

"What was our assignment again?" She mused out loud, pulling out her planner. Flipping to the according date, she read off the assignment for English.

'Write a sonnet', her past self wrote on black ink.

Oh good god, now the universe had to be messing with her. Fourteen lines of ten syllables which would most likely be about Ruby. Her silver eyes that glimmered like the moon, her deep crimson locks that fell down her face like the changing leaves. The bubbles in her laughter, the glee in her smile. No, fourteen lines would not be enough, Weiss would need much more if she wanted to express how wonderful she was.

That, however, was something she was trying to rid herself of, this love would tear her apart if she kept holding onto it.

She looked back at the rose that hung by her desk.

Weiss wasn't going to get work done tonight. Nothing was due the next day, there was no reason why she needed to do it.

A glance over at the clock on her wall told her it was just about ten. She figured it was probably time to go to bed. Packing her textbooks away, Weiss hung the messenger bag on the back of her chair for the morning. She brushed her teeth, washed her face and placed her nightgown on the bed.

Before she could take her shirt off to change, she heard something.

**Thump.**

Something smacked against the window.

Weiss jumped at the sound. Looking over, she just stared at the window pane for a couple seconds. Perhaps it was just a bird that accidentally crashed. Poor thing, Weiss hoped that it was alright, or at least that it went quick.

Turning back to her bed, she picked up the nightgown. This one didn't really suit her fancy, it was more for show than for sleep, and Weiss wanted to be comfy that night.

**Thump.**

The noise returned, and this time, Weiss flung the night gown behind her in shock.

It couldn't possibly be a  _second_  bird, right? That wasn't impossible, but it was highly improbable. Perhaps it wasn't a bird in the first place? Slowly, Weiss crept over to the window and opened it up to see what was outside.

Nothing. There was nothing out there.

She didn't know why she had expected to see anything, her room was on a higher floor. What would ever be out there?

"Maybe I'm just... Hearing things?" Weiss supposed. She walked away from the window and picked up the nightgown she discarded.

And then a new sound came. The sound of something gripping the window sill and slight... fluttering? Weiss turned in horror to see a bloody hand squirming to drag the rest of its body into her room.

"AAAAAAAH!" She shrieked, backing up to the edge of the room. She wanted to get as far away as possible from that... That thing! It was grunting, struggling to maintain a grip and hoist itself inside. Maybe, if she waited for it to slip, she could close the window again and keep it out for good.

"Hnngh!" It struggled. "Weiss... Help?"

But... That voice.

She  _knew_  that voice.

Before she tried to get as far away as possible, but now she rushed to help. Grabbing the bloody hand, Weiss tried to pull the figure into the room. More fluttering came from outside and Weiss made out a pair of flickering silver wings.

With one final tug, Weiss pulled them into the room, the visitor landing on top of the heiress with an 'oof'.

"Ruby? What are you do- Mph!" Weiss said, but was silenced. Ruby leaned in and pressed a kiss to Weiss' lips. Another needy and passionate kiss. Weiss absolutely gave in within moments, relishing in her new favorite sensation. The intruder's left hand came up to caress Weiss' cheek as they broke away for just a moment, just long enough to take a breath.

"I knew your lips would taste like vanilla." She whispered, huffing in between words, a smile in her voice. The angel in particular, seemed to try and take in much more oxygen than the heiress, but soon, she dove back in, tears from her eyes splashed onto Weiss' face.

"Weiss! I heard you scream! Are you alright?" Klein called from just outside her room. Ruby broke the kiss, looking up at the door with fear in her silver eyes. This was a quite... Compromising position they found themselves in, Ruby on top of Weiss, bleeding.

Wait, bleeding? Sure enough, Ruby  _was_  bleeding, a stream of the red liquid fell down from her forehead and basically covered the right half of her face.

"I-I'm fine! She called, tilting her head back, as to not scream in Ruby's face. "I just saw a big bug, but it's gone now."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Klein!" Weiss hastily answered. "Thank you."

The two waited, frozen in their awkward position, listening to the man's footsteps go down the hall and out of earshot. As soon as he was gone, Ruby shifted off of Weiss, allowing for the ivory-haired girl to get up and regain her bearings. And now that she wasn't love-drunk on Ruby's kisses, she realized a couple crucial things.

First and foremost, Ruby was  _here_. In the flesh, right in front of her. She was so close she could reach out and grab her hand. Which brought her to the second thing, Ruby was bleeding. It seemed to originate from her right hand and face. There was a lot of it, but she couldn't tell just how bad it was.

And third, Ruby was actually  _bleeding_. From what she told her, angels didn't bleed, they didn't get hurt at all.

"Um... Hi Weiss." Ruby said.

"Ruby... You're hurt." She said, closing the distance to take a closer look at her injuries. She carefully picked up her right hand and turned it over. Ruby silently complied, making it easier on her. She had a relatively deep gash in the palm of her hand and some smaller ones next to it, there were small bits of glass in the smaller wounds. "Oh, Ruby, how did this happen? How  _could_  this happen?"

Upon instinct, Weiss attempted to pull some of the small glass shards out. Ruby sucked in some breath and whimpered in pain.

Pain, angels don't feel pain. Ruby told her that herself. But she  _was_  in pain.

Next she looked at the cut on her forehead. It didn't look too deep, but it was still bleeding a bit, dipping down over her eye and down her face. She couldn't really assess it too well with all the blood though.

"I'm gonna grab a washcloth and a first aid kit." She announced, but as soon as she got up, Ruby grabbed Weiss' arm with her left hand. Her face was laden with fear, it was evident in her grip too.

The heiress leaned down and kissed the top of Ruby's head.

"I'll be right back, quick as a bunny."

Sticking to her word, Weiss rushed over to the bathroom and grabbed the items she would need. Her speed was not only for Ruby's sake, but for her own as well. When she took a look at herself in the mirror, she noted how some of the red substance got onto her face. It probably wouldn't bode well if Klein caught her covered in blood. It must have gotten on her when the angel kissed her.

She touched her lips. Weiss never thought she would feel that again, but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

It brought up the same questions that had been swirling in her head. How was Ruby here and how did she get hurt?

With the washcloths soaked in water, the basin and the first aid kit in tow, Weiss returned back to the injured angel. As soon as she entered the room again, her lost silver eyes found Weiss. She attempted a small smile, but it barely held a candle to her natural one.

"Alright, let's start with your head." She told Ruby, kneeling down to her level. Weiss winced, she wouldn't say she was squeamish, but there was quite a bit of blood dripping down her face. She started with wiping off the blood that had dripped down and worked up to the actual wound. "Ruby, what happened?"

"Ow!" She cried as soon as the washcloth hit her wound.

"I'm sorry!"

"No,  _I'm_ sorry." Ruby said. "I'm sorry you have to... Deal with this."

"Shush. I do this because I love you, you dolt."

Ruby giggled at that.

"Love you too."

"What happened." She repeated.

"I... Uh... Well I was running and I ran in an alleyway." Ruby explained. "And someone slammed open a door and it smacked me in the face. I fell and cut my hand on glass."

"I thought... Angels didn't..." Weiss trailed off. Ruby looked down as Weiss placed a bandage over her head wound.

"They found out, Weiss." Ruby whispered. "They found out and... And they gave me a choice. Never see you again, or become clipped."

"You... You chose me?"

"Yeah." Ruby said, raising her head again to make eye-contact.

"But, what about your sister?"

At the mention of that, Ruby's smile completely vanished. It was replaced with a quivering lip, followed by tears that spilled down her (now blood free) face. Soon, Ruby was sobbing, her breathing hitched and broken. On pure instinct (that she didn't even know she possessed) she pulled the redhead into a tight embrace. Just as Ruby had done for her so many times.

It was  _her_  time to be strong.

For Ruby.

"It's ok. It's gonna be ok." Soothed Weiss, petting her hair. There was still blood there, but she hardly cared.

Ruby explained what happened, how she went to her sister for help. How her sister scolded and shouted rather than helped. How she said that they weren't sisters anymore.

Weiss was boiling with rage. When Ruby was just about done crying, she moved onto the wound in her hand. How dare she. How  _dare_  she! Ruby couldn't help this, she just needed some help, someone who was impartial and loved her no matter what, and she couldn't even do  _that_! Weiss may not know much about functional families, but she knew that was  _no_  way to treat your sister, especially if they were as close as Ruby said.

And it was obvious they were by the way this utterly devastated her.

"This one is pretty deep, Ruby. You need stitches." Weiss commented, choosing to focus on the task at hand rather than the burning rage she held for Ruby's 'sister'.

"How are we supposed to do that? I don't exactly... Well... Exist, technically speaking." She said with a chuckle.

"There are immediate care centers, I can probably pay out of pocket."

"Weiss, I couldn't let you d-"

"Hush! I am helping you." She interrupted. "It's the least I can do."

"Really? Cause I'm pretty sure I'm just causing you issues."

"Ruby." Weiss said softly, cupping her face and looking into her silver orbs. "You gave up everything you knew to be with me. With  _me_! I... Still can't get over that. I'm not sure I'm worth it, a-and I can't guarantee this will be easy. But I promise you that I will love and cherish you, Ruby. Whatever you need, whatever you want, I'll give it to you. You have my heart, my devotion, my everything."

Weiss wasn't too sure where exactly that came from (perhaps she had been studying sonnets and love poems too much in English) but she really meant every word. She truly loved Ruby, with everything she had. If she could help Ruby, even just a little, she would do it.

Ruby started crying again, but this time she had a smile on her face. Compelled by the sight, Weiss leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Ruby's lips, the two both smiled through the contact.

"I love you too, Weiss. I'm yours."

The heiress caressed her cheek.

"My angel." She teased.

"Yours and yours alone."

With another small kiss, Weiss helped Ruby up to her feet, minding the wound on her hand.

"Doesn't that hurt?" She asked, pulling out a roll of gauze and beginning to wrap her hand up. Just a temporary solution to the problem.

"Yeah." She admitted. "But I don't think my sensations have fully come back yet. Still a little numb I guess. Pain is.. Weird though."

"Weird?"

"Well, I haven't felt it in about seventy-two years, Weiss."

"That... Is weird to think about."

"Sorry,  _too_  weird?"

"No, just weird enough." She teased again. Using the scissors provided in the first aid kit, she cut the gauze and taped it down. "I just never thought I'd be dating an older woman."

"Soooo, we're dating?"

"I think it's safe to say that, right?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Now, you wait right here. I need to do something and we'll be ready to go."

"Alright, I'll be here."

She smiled and had to steal one more kiss before leaving her room. After looking for a few minutes, she finally found him.

"Klein." I need a favor.


End file.
